The Nidaime's Heir
by adrien skywalker
Summary: Reposted! AU & PD story. After being subjected to numerous genetic and biological experiments by Orochimaru, Naruto, through a freak accident lands in another parallel dimension, where he quickly establishes himself as the heir of the Nidaime Hokage.
1. Genetics

* * *

The boy looked with blank eyes as he stood within the market street of Konoha. Dead bodies littered within the streets as a stream of blood flowed throughout the village.

The overcharged emotional hatred that the villagers had forcibly repressed for the boy had furiously burst open with a vengeance, when they learned that the boy had passed his shinobi graduation exam, after being carefully guided by some discrete prodding from some nefarious elements in the village; who wished to gain political leverage in the village by trying to manipulate that atmosphere for pursuing their own agenda and succeed in their goals.

Once the boy had passed, on the very same day after some time, some of the people who had regularly tormented the boy in his childhood were brutally murdered and their mutilated corpses had been displayed in the village square, with a forged note that literally screamed that the boy had done it. Add the fact that it was done on the anniversary of the Kyuubi attack and with the flaming words written in the forged note; along with some provocative speeches by the agents of the people who masterminded this scheme; this act had broken the forced restraint of the villagers and they were lost to a frenzy of bloodlust and lost all sense of logic and reasoning. Rumors that the boy had stolen the sacred scroll of seals in an attempt to release the Kyuubi added to their zeal as well.

The villagers in the mad frenzy of revenge had killed the only two persons in the village who had ever cared for the boy. Iruka Umino was killed by the villagers for the crime of passing the demon child, while the third hokage had been betrayed by his own shinobi and was murdered.

Then, the crowd in bloodlust had turned to hunt the boy and murder him. However, once the boy learned of the death of his two parental figures, he entered a catatonic state where his mind went numb with the shock. Such severe psychological trauma, exacerbated with the extreme amount of physical torture inflicted upon him removed the final vestiges of humanity in him. He simply allowed the crowd to do whatever it wished. He now had no desire to live.

However, the crowd in their frenzy to kill the boy forgot to factor in one crucial element. The demon sealed in the boy was not willing to end its existence in such a manner. Due to the nature of assault the boy's mind had endured, his brain shut down allowing the demon to temporarily gain control of his body.

The result was too catastrophic to imagine.

2/3rds of the village population was exterminated, or rather to say subjected to genocide by the demon possessed child.

The plan concocted by the person who had orchestrated these attacks to gain control of the village had backfired magnificently. Konoha was now damaged beyond repair.

As the child stared blankly at him, Council member Danzo glared at the boy who had single handedly destroyed all his plans. All his scheming, planning and maneuvering had come to naught. He trembled in incandescent rage. His Root forces had been exterminated. The shinobi forces were totally incapable of handling the boy and 65% of Konoha Ninja Forces were now extinct. However, the civilian damage was the highest. In the 11 years it had been imprisoned in the boy, the demon had cultivated an extreme hatred for the villagers of the village when it witnessed the extreme xenophobia the villagers had exhibited towards its prisoner. It had relished in its temporary freedom, and finally it had achieved its goal. More than 90% of Konoha's civilian population had been the direct target of the demon's attention. Konoha would never rise again.

As Danzo watched everything he had hope for crumble, he saw that the demon had finally released its hold on the boy, and that the boy had finally reverted to his catatonic state.

He may have lost, but he would gain some satisfaction by killing the one who had cost him everything. As Danzo was about to move towards the boy, loud ringing laughter rang throughout the streets.

Danzo turned around and saw the one person who would probably have enjoyed what had happened.

Orochimaru, the Snake Sannin stood in the blood strewn street clearly savoring what had happened.

He looked at Danzo and smirked, "You were always too ambitious for your own good, Danzo. In your bid to gain power, you overlooked one fact. You never involve demons in the affairs of humans. I too had created the same plan you used, but I abandoned it, because I knew it would have this effect. You, in your greed and haste did, and as a result today you have destroyed Konoha itself. I must say I have to thank you, in a way you did do my work for me. I always did say that Konoha was too corrupt to survive. It was only a matter of time before the village destroyed itself and I must say it has been & in a rather spectacular fashion," he again laughed loudly as Danzo scowled.

"I didn't anticipate this turn of events. If I had known this would happen, I would have never involved the demon," the crippled man spat with disgust.

Orochimaru shook his head, "Probably not like this, but you definitely would not have left him alone. He is a rather valuable commodity, is he not? Even at a fraction of all the unlimited power in the world sealed within him, he has brought down one of the 5 major powers in the world. No wonder, that almost every nation in the world covets them. Poor child, born the son of the greatest of our kind; oh yes, I admit it, Minato surpassed even me, but still, to be hated and shunned by the very ones he protected, such is the fate of Jinchuuriki," the man sighed dramatically.

"They are needed, but not wanted, however, today I believe the world has learnt a valuable lesson; either treat them well or don't create them at all. The world will be thanking you, Danzo. You will be remembered as the fool who taught the world a valuable lesson. Because of your actions, from now on, either Jinchuuriki will cease to exist or they will be treated like royalty. Sad that the one who was responsible for these turn of events will not experience that," he mocked the man.

Danzo growled, "Why are you here?"

"I am here for the boy. Oh, don't look at me like that. You think I will let the one who fulfilled my ambition be left like this, to be hunted by the world? My shinobi are already exterminating all the remnants of Konoha. Soon, no single person will be living in this place. Once, their job is done, I will bury the village and mark it as a mausoleum. Only my two former teammates will remain alive along with me as the remainders and the proudest achievements of what used to be KONOHA!!"

Before Danzo could reply, he fell down dead as a white bone pierced him, and as it sprouted out of his chest Kimimaro Kaguya walked in.

"Well done, Kimimaro-kun, take the child and bring him to Kabuto. I want him to be cared for very well. Now leave, while I finish my preparations," he ordered as the white haired teenager went towards the vacant looking boy and led him away. The boy did not react at all and let himself be herded away like a sheep.

An hour later, the greatest explosion in the history of the shinobi world reduced and buried an entire village. On that day, status quo was changed in the shinobi world, as only 4 major powers remained. Jiraiya and Tsunade were heartbroken with grief.

* * *

**9 Months Later**

* * *

In one of the many bases of Orochimaru, Kabuto Yakushi looked at the glass jar in front of him. In it was the most prized genetic experiment of Orochimaru.

Naruto Uzumaki, the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi was in suspended animation. He had been subjected to many genetically altering experiments that would have been impossible to conduct on normal shinobi or human beings.

When he had arrived, his mind had been so heavily fractured and damaged beyond repair, that they had no other alternative but to use a forbidden technique and completely erase every vestige of human emotions within him to spare the torture his hellish memories inflicted upon him. Even the intensity of those memories was dampened.

The technique was used in such a severe level, that he lost most of his memories. He forgot most of the events that had occurred in his life. He barely remembered his name, and those of his meager acquaintances that he had had once upon a time. However, the memories of the day of graduation were firmly entrenched in his mind, that and many of the memories of the various instances of psychological abuses he had suffered were still there. But at the same time, due to the brilliance of Orochimaru's techniques, he no longer felt any type of emotion whatsoever.

Orochimaru's aim in experimenting on him was to create the perfect shinobi. His body was being genetically engineered to peak levels. Knowledge of certain fighting arts was forcibly imprinted in his mind.

However, the ultimate pinnacle of his bioengineering skills was successfully proven when he managed to finally integrate the cellular samples taken from the corpse of the Nidaime Hokage into the boy.

As he had once failed to integrate the cellular structure of the Shodai who happened to be the elder brother of the Nidaime, in order to recreate the ability of Mokuton; Orochimaru had this time decided to take a more calculated and subtle approach. While not as powerful as his brother, the Nidaime was still a very powerful shinobi who ranked among the 5 most powerful ninja of all time. What Orochimaru intended to achieve was to give Naruto the same level of mastery the Nidaime had in his elemental abilities. The Nidaime had taken elemental chakra manipulation to the highest level biologically. His body had attuned itself and refined his two elemental natures of water and lightning particularly to the level where they were almost like a second skin to him. Added to the fact that he was also a master of Genjutsu was just an icing on the cake.

However, the operation was not without its side effects upon Naruto. While his regenerative abilities allowed him to survive the rigor of the operations, his body underwent drastic changes. His body structure changed and he now resembled a teenaged version of a hybrid of Naruto and the Nidaime. While he retained his looks, his hair was now white and resembled the ancient Hokage's hair. He also attained the distinctive markings the Nidaime had on his face, and his whiskers were now gone. He now had three brown markings like tree branches, one from the bottom of the chin rising up to the point below his mouth and two of them arising from behind his ears and falling just short of reaching the gap between the nose and the spots just below the eyes. His eyes also became brown instead of blue colored.

And to Orochimaru's immense delight, he displayed that he had indeed acquired the two elemental natures and they were rapidly beginning to evolve to the level of the deceased hokage. Orochimaru in his exuberance implanted the knowledge of some of the powerful water and lightning techniques he knew to the boy.

Today however, was a special day. They were about to initiate the final phase in the experiment, after which the boy would be removed from suspended animation and tested out.

As Kabuto looked up, he saw Orochimaru busy with a certain sealing array.

Orochimaru had decided that Naruto's mind was in a too fragmented state and it had to be renewed completely. Simply put, he was going to wipe the boy's mind completely, and install a new set of memories. In this set of memories, the boy would retain the memories of his village tormenting him, and him slaughtering the village, but at the same time, he would be removed of all sorts of emotion, but, and this was the brilliant part, he would not be removed of rational thinking. In short, he would be nothing but a perfect fighting machine with unparalleled intelligence and a being devoid of most of the human emotions. This would, according to Orochimaru, in theory, mitigate any emotional damage the boy may otherwise undergo. The boy for all purposes would be what would be termed in scientific terms as a robot with sentience.

Orochimaru had taken great pains to ensure that the Kyuubi didn't interfere in his work. However, he had not realized that the amount of experimentation he had done on Naruto would have actually destroyed the boy, if not for the Kyuubi's hastened regenerative abilities and that had had rather unexpected consequences, which he was about to find out soon.

As Orochimaru was nearing the end of his operations, suddenly the entrance to the room was blown wide open and the entire Akatsuki stepped in.

Madara Uchiha stepped forward, and spoke, "Did you really think you could hide him from us, Orochimaru? You were too busy in experimenting on your new pet, that you actually ignored us, as you will now learn to regret. Hand over the Jinchuuriki, and we will make your death quick and painless."

Orochimaru scoffed and prepared to battle, however, he knew that his chances were slim. Therefore, he decided to awaken Naruto and field test him to even out the odds somewhat. However, in his haste, he forgot that his operation was still incomplete. He had finished the planting of memories and the removal of emotions; however he had not yet sealed the technique, which meant that although the boy had lost all emotions, he was not barred from learning them again. That would prove to be both a boon and a curse in the future for Naruto.

As the battle near them hastened, the Kyuubi which had been severely weakened made a rather rash decision.

"So, he is here, I must now hurry or else all will be lost. I don't know whether this will work. The seal forbids me, but it has now weakened thanks to the snake, and there is the faintest chance that this may work," it grumbled and began to unleash all its chakra.

As the fox began to unleash all its chakra, the combat in the room stopped. Madara tried to use his Sharingan to subdue the Kyuubi, however because of the condition that Naruto now was in, his Tsukuyomi was not even worth a damn, and therefore Kyuubi was not impeded.

The Kyuubi piled on tail upon tail of chakra, until it began to seep out through various forced cuts from the boy's body. The seal had until then prevented the Kyuubi from escaping from the boy's body, however, the weakening had dampened its effect, and the Kyuubi had theorized that although it couldn't escape from the area in which the seal was proscribed, it could in theory escape by forcing its way out of other areas of the boy's body. The success rate for this was well below 1 percent, but the Kyuubi was beyond caring.

It should have cared. The seal reacted, albeit lately and as soon as it sensed that a part of the Kyuubi's sentience leaking out, it clamped down.

So, in essence, the Kyuubi was now trapped between Naruto and the outside world, and as the seal had not expected this anomaly, it overloaded. Because of the augmented physical characteristics of the boy's body, thanks to Orochimaru's experimentation, the Kyuubi was forcibly ejected out of Naruto.

However, the chakra overload piled and imploded in itself creating a wormhole that began to suck everything in the area. Because, he was unconscious, Naruto was instantly sucked in and to the horror of everybody vanished.

However, as the very force that was tethering the chakra itself was cut off, the chakra had no recourse but to detonate. And so it did, the Kyuubi, Orochimaru and the entire Akatsuki, including even Madara and Pein were annihilated in what was termed forever in the shinobi world as 'the day of the black sun.'

The entire rice country was devastated by the explosion. Even though he was gone, the child of prophecy had brought balance to the world. However, his adventures were far from over. His new life was about to begin.

* * *

As Naruto woke up groggily, he was surprised to find himself in a forest. He stood up to see where he was and to get his bearings. His body was still injured and there were lacerations on his body, however most of the cuts were healed. As he walked forward, he suddenly stopped.

In front of him, a mile away, stood Konoha. _But that was not possible. Konoha was dead_. Suddenly, he grabbed his head and sat down as a searing pain shot in his head. As the memory modification process initiated by Orochimaru had been interrupted, his memories were now a jumbled mess. He remembered the torture the villagers inflicted upon him as well as the murders of Iruka and the old man. He also remembered bits and traces of him losing control and slaughtering what appeared to be……villagers and shinobi.

He stood and stared at the village. He could now leave and never return. But that would lead to another slew of problems. However, he came to the conclusion that he had very little information. He had no recollection of what had happened. He did not know whether he had come back to the past, or to another dimension. So, his most promising option would be to enter the village.

As he moved forward, suddenly he buckled and collapsed. As he groaned, his brain was assaulted by memories, feelings and thoughts of another being. As he lay there moaning, after an hour when his body had stabilized he got up to his knees panting. The new set of memories he gained were of……him!!!!!!

As weird as it was, Naruto had gained the memories of……Naruto! So, his initial estimate had been correct. He was in the past or more accurately a parallel dimension. However, as two souls could not exist in the same plane at the same time, the soul of the apparently weaker Naruto had been absorbed into him. But, the Kyuubi was not present in him, and if the soul of the younger Naruto was gone, that meant that he had perished, and that would mean the seal on his body would be activating right now and……

He sank to the ground as the most massive spike of chakra he had ever seen erupted as screams and shouts were heard from the village. Naruto could not bear the strain anymore and collapsed.

He never saw the ANBU come near him, accompanied by the Hokage as they carried him into the village.

* * *

In the hospital Sarutobi was pacing frantically. When the spike of chakra had erupted, he had feared that the demon had ruptured the seal and had escaped. He had first gone to the boy's apartment, but it had burnt to cinders. Soon, he traced the boy's chakra signature to the forest outside the wall and raced there. His shock at seeing the new appearance of the boy was mitigated by the sheer panic and hysteria gripping the village.

As he was musing in his thoughts, he was interrupted by the head healer.

"How is he?" the hokage asked immediately.

"He is tired, and has undergone severe strain. However, as far as we can say, he is completely normal. But his new condition is baffling. We tested him for bloodline capability taking in his new appearance and the results were……well……surprising," the healer spoke in a hushed tone.

"Surprising? How?" the hokage asked.

"Take a look," the healer gave the charts to the hokage.

As Sarutobi looked at it, he nearly jumped out of his skin.

"This is……," he whispered.

"Yes," the healer continued, "That boy is a direct descendant of the Nidaime. He has inherited his abilities exactly. His body is also showing similarities physically. We don't understand how it is possible," the man threw his arms up in exasperation.

"Let me see him," the hokage spoke and without waiting for a response barged in.

He lifted the boy's shirt and gaped. The seal was gone.

Gulping, the old man channeled some chakra in the spot.

Empty. No trace of the demon. No residual chakra as well.

"Hokage-sama," the healer asked tremulously. He knew the ramifications of such an occurrence.

"The demon is gone!!! It is really, really gone!!" the hokage exclaimed loudly.

"That is…… excellent news, hokage-sama," the man whispered as his eyes began to glow.

"This explains it. The demon must have been suppressing his abilities and now with its departure, it has manifested," the hokage spoke in a whisper.

An ANBU came in and stopped near the hokage, "Hokage-sama, the crowd is getting restless. You must do something," he spoke in a near panic.

As he made to move forward, Sarutobi stopped as a bevy of thoughts flew into his mind.

"Rat," he spoke to the ANBU wearing the rat mask, "Wait outside, and announce to the crowd that I shall be making a formal announcement in ten minutes, and allow no one and I mean no one, into this chamber until then. Execute anybody, who tries to circumvent that, regardless of their station," the hokage ordered the ANBU who looked perplexed, but departed nevertheless to obey his leader's orders.

"Doctor, please forgive me for this," Sarutobi muttered as he suddenly knocked out the doctor before the man could as much as twitch.

As the man slumped, Sarutobi began to weave a number of seals, and after finishing, applied that seal on the doctor's forehead.

"You will as of now, forget what has happened here," the hokage spoke in a soft tone as the man lay in his hands, unaware and unconscious. "You will forget everything that you have learned about this boy's heritage. When asked by anyone, you will state that Naruto Uzumaki perished, and that the demon departed with him, that is all," the hokage spoke and those words were imprinted subconsciously in the doctor's mind. The technique the old hokage had used was a hidden hypnotism technique taught to him by the first hokage, one which would subconsciously impart orders into a person, to make them compliant.

After that, the hokage again rapidly made some seals, and summoned Enma, the Monkey Summon Clan King.

"Sarutobi, what is the meaning of this? Why have you called me now?" Enma asked as he materialized within the hospital chambers.

"Enma, time is short, and I need your help, something of monumental importance has occurred," Sarutobi spoke quickly as he looked at his old friend.

"I sense that something has occurred in the spiritual plane," Enma spoke as he sniffed the air, and then his eyes fell upon Naruto. "Sarutobi, is that…" the grizzled ape spoke in surprise when the hokage nodded interrupting the ape.

"For some unknown reasons, the Kyuubi perished tonight, leaving the boy's body. Furthermore, apart from that, drastic changes have occurred to his physique. _He automatically aged by at least six years approximately_, and above all else, we have learned that he is a descendent of Tobirama sensei," the hokage spoke in a soft tone.

Even Enma's eyes widened, "So, you want me to…," the ape began when Sarutobi interrupted hastily.

"Yes, this boy is the last living male of the Senju line as of now, and he cannot be allowed to fall under the thrall of the Go-Ikenban (Council of village elders) at any cost. He has suffered enough already without this to add on his plate. I will announce to the village that the jinchuuriki has perished as well. I want you to take him to the Monkey Caves now, and then send a message to Tsunade asking her to meet me on the sly. Hurry, Enma, I cannot wait anymore, the villagers are getting restless," the hokage urged and the ape nodded his head in agreement.

"Very well, I shall comply for now, but we need to talk later, Sarutobi," Enma replied softly as he made the seals for the reverse summoning as he grabbed the bed Naruto was on and vanished in a puff of smoke, as Sarutobi left to face the music.

* * *

The village of Konoha had broken into celebrations as the news of the death of the Kyuubi had spread, and spontaneous celebrations broke out everywhere.

Once Sarutobi had made his announcement, the roar of joy that had emerged from the crowd had rent open the skies itself, and the villagers had descended into drunken revelry. The council after hearing Sarutobi's deposition as well as that of the doctor, had accepted the news as well, much to his relief. Danzo had demanded to see the dead body, but Sarutobi replied by stating that Naruto's body had turned to ashes when the Kyuubi had rampaged and there unfortunately was no body to show, and although skeptical Danzo had acquiesced at that moment. Sarutobi had even taken the extra precaution of mind-wiping the members of the ANBU squad who had helped him in bringing Naruto to the village hospital, and even the ANBU 'Rat' as well, as collateral insurance to ensure that the truth would stay buried. He and Enma were now the only beings alive that knew that Naruto Uzumaki was still alive.

That night, as the celebrations had begun, Sarutobi had deigned to join, and his people had left him alone to mourn the child, who they knew was close to the old hokage.

As he eyed the celebrations, Sarutobi felt a sickening bile rise in his throat which he forced down with revulsion.

It was said that Konoha was supposedly the beacon of humanity amongst the great five hidden villages; the moral compass that built its foundations on bonds, love and friendship. The only words that Sarutobi could associate with those that so heavily embraced those notions was: 'utter bullshit'.

Konoha was no different than its sister villages for at the end of the day a shinobi would forever remain a shinobi. All the altruistic word games and hollow reassurances were nothing more than a front to cover the ugliness of the way of the ninja.

How else could he explain the hypocrisy that ran rampant through Konoha? They worshiped the ground prodigies from bloodline wielding clans walked on, their blood giving them the 'spark' of greatness only rarely attainable by other people of their generation and treated their common peers who were not so lucky with despicable shoddiness.

And yet, when it came to the current topic of their celebration, all these noble people, all these 'kindhearted' people, seemed to lose their warmth and humanity and viewed that person as a being whose worth was less than the dirt they trod upon with their feet.

That more than all, convinced Sarutobi that he had made the right decision when he had sent the boy away with Enma.

Suddenly, his reverie was broken as a monkey summoned itself into his chambers.

"Sarutobi-san, Enma-dono has asked me to bring you to his location, now. Tsunade-hime has arrived as well, and one more thing, the child has awakened," the ape spoke in a low gravelly tone as Sarutobi nodded.

"Very well, Hiroshi, let us be off then," he spoke as he laid a hand on the ape's shoulders as it weaved the hand seals needed for the reverse summoning, and both hokage and summon vanished in a plume of smoke.

* * *

They reappeared on the outskirts of a cave, in a hidden hilly terrain, which the Hokage instantly recognized as the area near the forests of Otafuku-Gai. As he walked in, he noticed Enma, Tsunade and another young woman, whom he recognized as Shizune, Tsunade's apprentice standing around a bed upon which the boy was sleeping.

"Tsunade, I apologize for this inconvenience, but I hope you understand that I had no other choice," he spoke as he eyed his student and surrogate daughter.

"Hai, sensei," she replied in a quiet tone. Sarutobi looked at her in surprise at her quiet tone. For the first time in a long time, she looked forlorn and confused. He grudgingly realized that it would have to be a shock to her as well, after all, she had believed herself to be the last of her clan, and now, she had learned that her grand-uncle had a descendent. It was a lot to take in.

"Do you have any doubts as to the veracity of my claims?" he asked and she softly shook her head.

"No, I have conducted the tests on the genetic markups myself, and well, he is the descendent of Tobi-jisan. So, I have decided to accept your request, and decided to take him in. But, who is he, sensei, and where did he come from?" Tsunade asked in a vexed tone. It appeared as if she had been holding back that question for a long time, which was apparent from her tone as Sarutobi let out a sigh of relief knowing that Tsunade would take the boy in after all.

"He is or rather was," Sarutobi paused for a minute as he replied, "the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. For some inexplicable reason, the Kyuubi suddenly perished yesterday and left this plane of existence. And even more surprising was that within moments after it left, his physiology and his appearance changed drastically. He actually aged by around six years! I have never seen anything like that, can you explain why that happened?" he asked as he looked at Tsunade who looked stunned.

"I don't know, Sensei, I may have to conduct some tests myself to ascertain the truth…," the slug Sannin admitted. "But still, you haven't answered my question. Who exactly is he? What is his heritage? Whose son is he?" she asked again as Sarutobi shrugged.

"We don't know. Minato was the one, who made him into a jinchuuriki, and he died before he could reveal to us who he was; all we found at the scene was a newborn child lying above the dead body of the Yondaime Hokage, that is all. I am afraid the secret of his parentage will remain a secret for all time," Sarutobi shrugged as Tsunade narrowed her eyes.

"The boy is waking up," Enma interrupted and everybody turned around to see Naruto waking up. As the boy looked up at them all, Sarutobi stepped forward with a kind smile.

"Naruto, I would like you to meet Tsunade of the Sannin," the old man introduced the two. Naruto nodded quietly. Tsunade was surprised to see no reaction at all from the boy, but she hid it well.

"What brings you here?" the boy asked them quietly.

Sarutobi's eyebrows rose. He shrugged, "It has been revealed that you are the descendent of the Nidaime. Tsunade is the last surviving member of that clan and therefore she is your only relative alive. As such, she has come to offer you a home."

At this, Naruto stared at the woman. Had he been the Naruto of old, this would have elicited a very different kind of response.

Naruto shrugged, "Thank you, but it is not necessary. I do not wish to impose."

Sarutobi's eyes rose higher. Something was definitely wrong. This was uncharacteristic of the boy. Tsunade also hid her surprise well.

"Naruto, she is your relative!! You must stay with her. Your new status brings you enemies as well. You surely understand that, right?" the old man reasoned.

Naruto looked at the Sannin, "Who exactly are you supposed to be? My grandmother or something?" he asked her quietly.

A vein ticked in Tsunade's temple as Sarutobi hastily began to cough while Shizune turned purple. Enma on the other hand, gave a hearty laugh.

"Of sorts, yes. But you will not call me grandmother," the Sannin glared as she looked at the boy.

"Would you rather I call you 'old woman', then?" the boy asked in the same tone as Sarutobi stepped back in surprise. Shizune paled further praying that her teacher remain calm.

Tsunade eyed the boy. Something was very……different about this boy.

"Grandmother will be fine. You are the only person who will be allowed to call me that. Remember," and with that the Sannin walked out in a huff.

Sarutobi spoke up, "Tsunade and I have reached an agreement. As of now, you will reside with her permanently. It would cause unnecessary problems in the village, if your newly discovered heritage were to be revealed. It is precisely for this reason that I have secreted you away from the village. The accident, whatever it was has caused the Kyuubi which was sealed within you to depart, which as you may notice has wrought many drastic changes in you as well. I have managed to convince the villagers that you perished in that accident as well. As of now, you will gain a new identity and a new name and live as Tsunade's grandson, so that this may never be discovered. Are you okay with this?" the old hokage slowly asked, as Naruto took in all the information quietly without batting an eyelash.

Naruto shrugged, "Whatever you say. It doesn't matter, either way."

Sarutobi looked at the boy and nodded and walked out followed by Enma and Shizune.

Outside the room, he was met by the Sannin.

"Noticed it, did you?" she asked her teacher as the old man looked at her with his eyes brimming with questions.

"Yes. I don't understand. He is never this quiet or unresponsive. He was a massive prankster and loudmouth. However, since the demon left he has changed too much, and too drastically. I don't understand," the old hokage sighed as he massaged his temple in annoyance.

Tsunade spoke quietly, "It is possible that the fox had repressed his abilities forcibly. The traits you described match the behavior exhibited sometimes by foxes. Now that its oppressive presence is gone, perhaps the true nature of the boy is going to come out," she mused.

Sarutobi sighed, "So, this is what he would have been like without the fox, is that what you are saying?" he asked his student, who nodded in reply.

"Yes, even I sense something disturbing about the child, Sarutobi. He has no emotions, no reflexive behaviors from what I observed, and that is a dangerous trait in a shinobi. He didn't even react to the change of surroundings, and no other child of his age would remain so deadpan at hearing what you explained to him. It appears that it is as if he has lost his humanity itself, when the fox departed. You were right in bringing him to the princess, if anyone can heal him, it is her," Enma spoke in agreement as well.

"Very well, Tsunade. I will leave him in your care, take care of him," Sarutobi spoke as Tsunade nodded in agreement. "You will have to keep his existence a secret. As of now, this boy is the last living male descendant of the Senju clan, and if the Go-Ikenban learns of it, they will not rest until they force you and him back into the village, but I will give you as much time as possible, do you understand?" Sarutobi asked as Tsunade nodded.

"You will have to give up your nomadic lifestyle and settle down somewhere, somewhere remote and inaccessible by any normal means, can you understand that as well?" Sarutobi continued and she nodded hesitantly. Shizune's face broke into a small smile at that.

"Well, I must leave now; I cannot leave Konoha unattended for long. I will devise a proper new identity for him and send the details to you through Enma," Sarutobi spoke as he walked inside to say goodbye to the boy. It would be another five years before they would see each other again.

As he left, he left behind him a grandmother and a grandson, who would spend the next five years trying to establish a relationship, and during that time, Tsunade would learn just how special, her new grandson really was.

* * *

Five years later, Konoha would explode with frenzy as the news of the hidden Senju clan heir would resonate in its streets. The heir of the Senju clan and the grandson of Tsunade of the Sannin, _Senju Raiha_, the one who would rock the foundations of the village to its core.

* * *

**P.S.** Reposted, but with major differences. As you all may have realized, the world in which he resided was the canon world (the one shown in the Manga), and as of now, he has come into a parallel dimension, where everything is different.

**P.P.S.** The Naruto who perished was aware of the Kyuubi being sealed within him, even though he was around six years old at the time, as seen when Sarutobi tells the dimension hopping Naruto about the Kyuubi's departure in a casual manner, thereby proving that he believes this Naruto to be the same one that he knew, even though it is not the case.

**P.P.P.S.** No, he will not gain Mokuton, and he will not gain the toad summons, I have something else planned for that.

**P.P.P.S.** And, no, no pairings decided, way too early for that.

**P.P.P.P.S.** Just a final remainder, as of now, Naruto is a thirteen year old boy, who has come into this world, and the other Naruto of this world who perished when he came into this world was six years old, which means that the time flow is different in this dimension and lags behind the Canon world by seven years. However, the major events like The Hyuuga Kidnapping and The Uchiha Massacre are yet to happen, as the events will not exactly happen as per Canon in this parallel dimension and are yet to happen later, after he returns to the village, in my story.

* * *


	2. Revelations

* * *

As he looked through the window of his office at his village, Sarutobi could not help but sigh in despair. He had been there, when the village had just barely formed, learning under the two greatest shinobi in the world, as their chosen successor, and he had led it through an era of unprecedented bloodshed and warfare, and had brought it to the pinnacle of its prosperity. As he stood there, he allowed his mind to wander over the memories of the people who had aided him so ably in bringing that said prosperity for their village.

The Senju brothers had founded the village and had brought it great prosperity and stability, but it was he, who had preserved it through the bygone ages. He remembered the legends of past, with whom he had worked, and of whom he was considered as one as well. Hatake Sakumo, a magnificent shinobi of the likes born once in a generation, who caught in his own despair had ended his life prematurely. That had been a tragic waste. It was no secret that Sarutobi had intended to make the man his successor, but his death had left a void, which he had hoped would be fulfilled by his own students, among them the sole legacy of his mentors. And yet, the one in whom he had vested most of his hopes had betrayed him, while the one whom he had neglected had turned out to be his sole crutch in the future to come.

Yet, he and Sakumo were the relics of an era which nobody now remembered, and he stayed in the minds of the people only because of the recognition his position brought him, along with the stories of his prowess in a bygone era, of ninja's whose name was forever enshrined in the minds of ordinary people.

But then again, from those ninja's who had made a name for themselves, there were those who surpassed understanding and were deemed as legends, such was the impact that they had upon the world. Three such individuals were the students of "The Professor," of him, the Sandaime Hokage of Konoha, who was recognized for knowing and actually using all of Konoha's techniques, which numbered in the thousands. The three students of his team, unlike any other team in Konoha, each became a great individual force and tremendously powerful; each displaying different talents, yet becoming almost equally strong, and even then, never as powerful as they were together, for which they were named 'the Sannin' by Sanshouuo no Hanzo, a legend among legends, and the only surviving enemy shinobi of his time still alive. The two of them were contemporaries and rivals themselves, although their rivalry was but a pale imitation of the greatest shinobi rivalry of all time, of that of Hashirama Senju & Uchiha Madara.

Later on, when the Sannin searched and contacted the particular animals that now distinguished them from their other comrades, and gained those animal's blessing to summon their kind, that name evolved and they became known as the "Legendary Three Ninja's," or the Densetsu no Sannin.

Since then they had been called as such; Tsunade, the Slug Tamer; Orochimaru, the Snake Handler; and Jiraiya, the Toad Hermit. Since then, they had always been the Sannin, the Three; the Great Summoner's.

Better together then apart, for together they were unstoppable.

'What,' Sarutobi questioned himself as he looked upon the hokage monument through the window, 'would the remainder of his students be called now?' Would they become the "Legendary Two Ninja's?" The Ninin. Would Orochimaru be remembered as anything but a traitorous snake? Or would that particular name fade into the history books of the world as legend, nothing more then a memory of a time when a team of ninja as a whole gained so much respect?

Maybe, just maybe, when future generations speak of the Sannin, they will speak of them with awe and wonder, and they will remember them as they once were, as three parts of a whole and not as a friendship broken by betrayal.

Chuckling softly at the direction of his thoughts, the Sandaime simply relit his pipe and took a puff from it, looking out of the window to see the morning light stream atop the tree tops of Konohagakure and enter his office, illuminating the spacious interior. Truly, it is no small wonder that so many great Shinobi come from this very village, even when peace was so abundant within it. And then his eyes fell upon the Hokage monument illuminating the face of his successor, eerily bathing it in a halo of golden light.

Namikaze Minato, the student of his student, and quite possibly the one man who reminded him of Hashirama-sama himself. An outstanding Ninja in all ways, he was the one who had single-handedly ended the third shinobi war and had saved Konoha. Recognizing his worth, the third had made him the fourth and for a brief moment, had enjoyed a break, with his hard-earned but much deserved retirement. And yet again, when disaster struck, Minato rose to the occasion magnificently, by sacrificing himself and saving the village and the world in the process.

And yet, it was he upon whom it had fallen to preserve Konoha, once more. He chuckled wanly. He should have been called 'The Preserver' instead of 'The Professor'. It looked like he was the one who was called every time to preserve the status quo, and he was getting tired of it. As of now, the power of the village was waning, although only a few in the village knew of it. The attack of the Kyuubi had dented the village's power severely. Minato's sacrifice had saved the village, but at a terrible cost. Only the myth and reputation of Konoha's legends and past deeds acted as a deterrent against any hostile activities, but it was a thin deterrent.

He needed to find a new leader, one who would bring the village back together from the internal strife that was plaguing it. As it was, the tensions between the Uchiha clan and the remaining members of the Go-Ikenban were running high, and meanwhile, regular skirmishes were occurring with Kumogakure on a weekly basis.

He realized the signs. He was getting too old, and he needed to choose the Godaime quickly. He would not wait too long, and because of it leave the village vulnerable. Jiraiya would not be suitable, and his intelligence network would crumble if he abandoned it. It would seem that Tsunade would have to return after all.

And if the rest of the council opposed it, stating her absence, he had a fait accompli ready to offer. The last heir of the Senju Clan, who would come with his grandmother and become the Godaime's right hand, just like Sakumo had been to him.

He sat down and began to draft a letter to the Daimyo. He had a lot to accomplish, and he hoped that Tsunade would spare Enma when he went to deliver the message.

* * *

Within days, news soon spread like wildfire across Konohagakure no Sato; their Village would soon have a new Hokage, as the council had finally backed the Sandaime's selection and announced that the inauguration of the Fifth Generation Fire Shadow of the Hidden Leaf would take place in five days, when Sarutobi would hand over the reigns of the Village to his previous student. The Slug princess and one of the Densetsu no Sannin, Tsunade Senju.

* * *

In his office, Sarutobi was busy signing some documents when the telltale sign of an ANBU squad materializing inside his office was heard. Without looking up, Sarutobi spoke up, "Please remove your masks, for this next mission will require you to masquerade as Jonin in public," the hokage spoke softly as rustling sounds came up.

Sarutobi looked up to see his best ANBU squad standing in rigid attention with their masks removed. Hatake Kakashi, the current commander of the ANBU and his protégés. Uzuki Yuugao, a young and promising Kenjutsu practitioner. Tenzo, the lone survivor of Orochimaru and his genetic mishaps, and the lone Mokuton user in the world alive to date, and finally, the newest prodigy of the village, the 13 year old Uchiha Itachi.

"Hokage-sama, we are ready for our mission," Kakashi spoke softly as the Hokage looked up.

"Kakashi, for this mission, you shall defer to another ninja who shall act as your superior," the Hokage spoke without preamble while the eyes of Kakashi's subordinates rose for a fraction. Someone with enough rank to command the commander of the ANBU? But who could…

"This mission will be led by my apprentice, Jiraiya of the Densetsu no Sannin," the Hokage concluded as the eyes of everyone went wide. To work with a Sannin was the dream of almost every shinobi in Konoha.

"I am honored, Hokage-sama, that you and Jiraiya-sama found me and my team worthy," Kakashi replied softly.

The other members of his team remained silent, but their eyes revealed the tale. To be chosen by a Sannin to perform in a mission, never again would they doubt that they were the best of the best of Konohagakure no Sato.

"Your mission, Kakashi, is to rendezvous with Jiraiya near Otafuku Gai, from where you will accompany him to retrieve and safely escort back to Konoha, the Godaime Hokage, Tsunade of the Sannin, my other apprentice," the Hokage concluded and even Kakashi's eyebrows rose a fraction.

His team was by now standing still, realizing that this might possibly the most high profile mission of their career.

"As you know, tension with Kumogakure is at an all time high, and we suspect that Kumogakure may try to attack Tsunade if this news gets out, that is why, you cannot go out as ANBU, because that will be tantamount to declaring publicly what you are up to. You must keep this mission as low scale as possible, but I don't think that the possibility of anybody attacking you when Jiraiya is with you is high, and it will be even less when Tsunade joins you. Attacking two of the Sannin is suicide for anyone unless they are a Kage themselves, and that is disregarding the fact that you all will be present," the hokage concluded.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Kakashi nodded, chuckling to himself as he imagined the possibility of someone attacking a party consisting of Jiraiya, Tsunade and himself, not to mention his team.

"You will depart this night, prepare and outfit yourselves accordingly," the hokage ordered as the team left his office, immediately via Shunshin.

* * *

**UCHIHA CLAN ENCLAVE,**

**FUGAKU UCHIHA'S HOME,**

**

* * *

**

"As expected of my son," Fugaku spoke proudly as he eyed Itachi who knelt in front of him, "You have been accepted into the ANBU, and that too as a member of the squad of the ANBU Commander himself," the Uchiha clan head spoke as he eyed his eldest son as if he was a prized commodity.

Meanwhile, young Sasuke Uchiha, the second son of the Uchiha clan head was trying futilely to gain the attention of his father but was failing miserably. If Fugaku noticed those attempts, he paid no heed to it.

"Itachi, as a clan head, I am privy to what this mission is, and I need not impress upon you the importance of this mission. It is your luck that for your evaluation mission, you have landed a mission which many ANBU would give an arm and a leg to be assigned to. I have no doubts that the success of this mission will go a long way in helping our clan integrating with the rest of the village, which is why I have decided to ask Hokage-sama to permit me to accompany you along as well," his father spoke in a soft tone as Itachi nodded softly.

"Furthermore, this is a great opportunity for you to make an impression on the person you are escorting. Do you understand?" Fugaku spoke in a quiet tone as his eyes morphed to reveal the Sharingan.

"I do," Itachi spoke softly, "But, I am afraid that I will have to refuse this mission," he spoke with a soft smile as he looked at his father who almost stumbled in shock.

"Are you out of your mind?" Fugaku nearly screamed, his jowls quivering with anger as his eyes flashed red, "Itachi, do you not understand the significance of this mission? You are the pipe connecting the village to the clan, did you forget?" he spoke softly as Itachi nodded.

"I do, however, tomorrow is an important day for me as well. Tomorrow Sasuke begins at the academy and it is the most important day of his life, and it is necessary for someone from the family to be with him. And if you are also going to be on the mission, then he will be left alone, therefore, I will request the Hokage to let you go in my stead. Surely, even you too must have received the notification from the academy, after all, isn't that so, father?" Itachi spoke softly as Fugaku stiffened.

Itachi continued in the same light tone, "After all, missions will always arise, but I have only one brother, and this day will come in his life only once," Itachi spoke as the young boy looked at him in gratitude.

"Very well, I will go to the academy, you concentrate on the mission," Fugaku spoke softly as Sasuke's face lit up in happiness.

"Thank you, Nii-san," Sasuke spoke as soon as their father left, "thank you very much," the boy spoke again, but Itachi could detect the faint resentment in the boy's mind, that their father favored him more.

"Father can be difficult, Sasuke, but that doesn't mean that he ignores you, you see, the reason why he is so interested in this mission is because it is going to change the entire village, that is why" Itachi spoke softly as the boy's eyes widened.

"Wow, what mission is that?" Sasuke asked in wonder as his eyes widened.

"You know I can't tell you, Sasuke," Itachi spoke with a sigh as his brother pouted.

"Fine," the elder Uchiha sighed as he saw his brother's pouting face, "It will soon be public anyway, however, you must keep it a secret until I return," Itachi warned as the eager young boy nodded quickly.

"I am going with my team to bring the Godaime Hokage back to Konoha; in five days, the Sandaime will retire and the village will have a new Hokage. I am going with my ANBU team to escort the new Hokage back to the village," Itachi spoke softly as the boy's eyes widened. His already sycophantic adoration of his elder brother shot to hitherto unseen levels as he heard the kind of mission his brother would be going on.

* * *

**TWO DAYS LATER, NEAR OTAFUKU GAI,**

**

* * *

**

Near Otafuku Gai, Kakashi and his team, dressed as normal civilians, were sitting quietly in a bar with Jiraiya, who had met up with them there.

It was the first time that Itachi had met up with a Sannin, but as he analyzed the man who sat in front of him, the youngster realized that the stories did not do the man true Justice. His chakra was so potent that for a second, his Sharingan had been blinded, and the only other persons with whom that had occurred were the Hokage and his father, but even they paled in comparison to Jiraiya.

"All right, Gaki's," Jiraiya began with a thin smile as he noticed the ANBU squad looking at him with disguised awe, while Kakashi lazed around, reading his book. He and Kakashi went back a long time; it came with tradition after all, he had trained Minato, Minato had trained Kakashi, and as such Kakashi was inner circle, besides, he was Sakumo's kid, and that counted as well.

"The terrain we are going into is very rough, and although I would have preferred to do this alone, I too agree with Sarutobi-sensei that having you around would be useful. Kumo-nin are getting too frisky in these areas. So, know this, you are here to play escort that is all, and I warn you before hand, keep your mouths shut. If you shout your mouth off in front of Tsunade-hime, that will be the last thing you will ever do. Keep your mouths shut, and your ears open, and everything will go smoothly," Jiraiya finished as the members of the ANBU squad nodded gingerly.

"How far do we need to go, Jiraiya-sama?" Yuugao asked quietly. She was all raring up to go and meet the woman who was known worldwide as the greatest Kunoichi to be ever born.

"It is about thirty miles to the west, in the canyons of the mountains bordering the land of Iron, near the three gorges hill, a very remote and very inhospitable area, and very deadly," Jiraiya spoke softly. The eyes of the others widened.

"The Land of Iron? Isn't that the Samurai Land?" Kakashi asked quietly as the others fell silent.

"Samurai Land?" Itachi asked in confusion after seeing everybody else fall silent, unaware of the significance of that statement unlike everybody else.

"The Land of Iron," Jiraiya began as he looked at Itachi, "is a land that is formed by the three mountains area, and it is a neutral nation with a strong military on par with the five nations. They have no ninjas of their own, and the ninjas of the elemental lands avoid that nation as well. Their lands are guarded zealously by Samurai, who are numerous and strong," Jiraiya spoke softly.

"Then why did Tsunade-sama choose such an inhospitable and inaccessible land to live in?" Itachi asked quietly.

"You will know when we reach the area," Jiraiya spoke enigmatically and that was that.

Soon, their party left for the Land of Iron, with Jiraiya regaling them all along the way through anecdotes of the past, including him and Tsunade, as well as stories about him and the Yondaime, when he was his student. Needless to say, the journey progressed in a much jollier mood than they had expected.

* * *

**NINE HOURS LATER,**

**

* * *

**

The journey had been arduous, and the path was extremely difficult. Narrowly winding, strewn with jagged rocks and deep crevices, and many dangerous plants lying about, it was clear that this was a very remote area. And a very inhospitable one, as well, which raised the question as to why a ninja of Tsunade's caliber and pedigree would deign to live in such an inhospitable area in the minds of the ANBU members.

Meanwhile, the shrubs at the end of the path rustled, and instantly the hands of all the ANBU members went to their weapons as they took guard. Suddenly, a person stumbled out of the shrubs.

It was a woman in her late twenties, wearing a chain-mail shirt and a black kimono. She had brunette hair, and her gait gave away the evidence of her shinobi training. She was, they all noted, rather plain looking, but attractive in her own way.

"Ah, Shizune, good to see you again," Jiraiya spoke in a warm tone, at which the ANBU released the hold on their weapons by a fraction.

"Who…Jiraiya-sama, is that you?" the woman spoke in surprise as she recognized the toad Sannin. "And…is that…Kakashi?" she asked in wonder as she eyed his subordinates. Her cheeks took a rosy tint as she looked at Kakashi, who waved haphazardly in his usual manner.

"Everyone," Jiraiya spoke for the benefit of the ANBU who were still eyeing the brunette with disguised caution, "This is Shizune, the apprentice of Tsunade. She has been staying with her for more than twenty years now. You can all relax now, we are here," Jiraiya spoke as the ANBU nodded and slowly bowed to the medic.

"Shizune, I presume that you know why we are here?" Jiraiya asked the young woman who nodded with a smile.

"Hai, Enma-dono brought the message two days back, we have been busy preparing for it, but…" she stopped as hesitation entered her voice and looked at the Sannin.

"What is wrong, Shizune?" Jiraiya asked quietly as the young woman began to fidget.

"Shizune…" Jiraiya glared and she wilted under his stare, "Well, ano, you see...for the last few weeks, we have been having some problems with a group of bandits," Shizune spoke softly as the eyes of the ninja hardened.

"Well, you see, they are all Ronin, and they have become quite a nuisance in these areas. However, they made the terrible mistake of offending Tsunade-sama, who killed their leader and sent his head to them as a message and warning," she spoke with a quiet tone as the eyes of the ANBU widened.

"However, because of that, those bandits have become incensed, and as such, they…," she paused as she looked down and clawed the ground with her feet.

Jiraiya cleared his throat, at which the girl gulped and continued hastily, "Well, because of that, they waited for a time when we were not at home, and razed our house to the ground, and Tsunade-sama is rather angry at that…," she spoke quietly as the eyes of everyone widened.

"Shizune-san, where are these bandits?" Itachi asked softly as she looked at the young shinobi in surprise.

"These bandits have dared to attack the home of the Godaime Hokage, and for that crime, their life is forfeit. Where are they located?" Yuugao asked softly as Shizune fidgeted even more.

Suddenly, the atmosphere was disturbed as a loud crack of thunder was heard. Jiraiya's eyes instantly widened.

"_He_ has gone after them, hasn't he?" he asked Shizune in a soft tone as the woman nodded.

"I was trying to find _him_, before _he_ reached those Ronin, but it seems that I have failed," Shizune spoke softly.

"Let us get to _him_ first, we will go to Tsunade-hime later, or is she with _him_ as well?" Jiraiya asked quickly as he dropped his jolly façade and became serious.

"No, she is at the campsite, we were preparing to leave to Konoha anyways, _he _however decided to deal with those Ronin before we left. _He _was away on a training trip you see, so _he_ did not know anything about this, but when _he_ learned of this, well, things just spiraled out of control," she spoke when suddenly another loud crack of lightning was heard.

"Let us go…," Jiraiya spoke without preamble and made for the area where the sounds of lightning had come from. Kakashi and the others along with Shizune followed him without a word.

As they neared the area, Jiraiya signaled them to halt and they all stopped and took positions, with Kunai and swords drawn, and on guard as they observed the field.

* * *

In the clearing which was visible, a battle was taking place, or rather, was about to take place.

Around seventy rogue samurai, with swords drawn and enhanced by Chakra were surrounding an individual at whose feet two smoking corpses were seen lying around. It was now clear as to why they had heard the sounds of lightning from this area.

The Samurai were all wearing identical body armor and helmets with masks, which covered their faces, and they had surrounded the individual by encircling him completely.

The individual on the other hand, they noticed, was standing still without a trace of fear in his eyes. He was a young man, around twenty years of age, and he had white hair, which was tied in a long ponytail which reached up to the middle of his back. He was wearing a chain-mail shirt covered by a white Hakama and white pants along with wooden sandals. His forehead as well as forearms were covered by strips of white clothes as though they were bandages. His ensemble was finally completed by a thin sword which hung around his back and a shuriken holster which was strapped on his left shoulder.

"Shit, we are too late, there is no stopping _him_ now," Jiraiya muttered as he took in the scene.

"Jiraiya-sama," Kakashi began when the Sannin raised his hands.

"Be silent, Kakashi, and watch. You are about to see a show unlike any other," Jiraiya spoke softly as he looked at the scene. The others, if they found the conversation strange, remained silent and did not comment. Shizune, they noticed, did not seem worried, but was looking rather peeved.

Meanwhile, in the clearing, the assembled Ronin gave a yell and charged at the white haired individual. It was over in seconds, as the young man moved, and before the observers could gather themselves, they saw that all the attackers were lying on the ground, dead, with bodies and limbs scattered around,covering the land with a wet slick of blood while perversely leaving the young man's white clothes spotless and in pristine condition as he stood still and observed the carnage with a detached look on his face.

* * *

The ANBU were shocked beyond comprehension at the level of skill displayed by the young man as they watched the scene with their jaws wide open.

"Fast, very fast, even with the Sharingan, I could not see when he withdrew the sword, and I could count only half of the strikes that he dealt," Kakashi spoke softly.

One look at Itachi made it clear that the Uchiha prodigy too had fared similarly and had been unable to follow the battle completely. Tenzo and Yuugao on the other hand had not been able to even sense as much as they had, but it looked like Shizune and Jiraiya had been able to follow the battle.

"Oh, twenty seconds to deal with seventy men, it seems that _he_ has finally reached a decent level," Jiraiya admitted softly as he looked at the young man with something akin to pride in his eyes.

_Decent? This was a decent level to the Sannin?_ ……the others thought incredulously as they eyed the Sannin, and the approaching young man with new found respect.

_This is the level I must reach, if I am to succeed in my mission, _Itachi thought stiffly as he looked at the young man in the clearing with calculating eyes.

"Who is that young man, Jiraiya-sama?" Yuugao asked in a somber tone as she eyed the youngster who was making his way towards them with respect in her eyes.

"His name is _Raiha, Senju Raiha_, the grandson of Tsunade-hime and the direct descendent of the Nidaime Hokage, as well as the last living heir of the legendary Senju clan of the Forest," Jiraiya spoke softly, as the eyes of the visitors widened comically as they gaped at the youngster who was approaching them with morbid fascination.

* * *

**P.S. 1.** As I made clear in the last chapter's post script, Sarutobi believes that the Naruto who is alive is actually the one who perished, and does not realize that this Naruto is actually a dimension traveler, and yes, the Naruto who perished knew that the Kyuubi was sealed in him, hence the casual manner in which Sarutobi dealt with the new Naruto when he woke up, being under the assumption that he was the old one.

**P.S. 2.** As of now, Naruto will henceforth be called Raiha in the coming chapters, but in his own self assessments, he will refer to himself as Naruto.

**P.S. 3.** Jiraiya already knows of Raiha, and has even trained him for some time, much of it will be made clear in the chapters to come.

**P.S. 4.** Some others raised the doubts that even a modified and genetically engineered Naruto would not have helped Orochimaru in escaping an attack launched by the entire Akatsuki roster and I agree. What you must realize is that Orochimaru planned to use that boy as a distraction allowing him to escape. While averse to handing over the Jinchuuriki to them, faced with his own survival, he would not hesitate to sacrifice even his most prized experiment.

**P.S. 5.** As for Naruto or Raiha as of now, he is currently 18 years old, bordering on 19, and just to remind you once again, the dimension traveling Naruto was already 13 years old when he arrived in this dimension, and it is already five years after his arrival by this chapter, meaning which, he is around 18 years old biologically, but with Orochimaru's modifications, his body has matured faster, and he looks older than he actually is. Tsunade and Sarutobi believe that he aged by six years when the Kyuubi left his body, and they have not been able to solve that phenomenon yet, not to mention that they have not even realized that he is not the Naruto that they believe him to be. They think that he is a seven year old boy who aged by six years when his demon left him, and they have looked after him ever since.

**P.S. 6.** By now, he has gained a complete mastery over the abilities he has been given. As of now, his power matches if not nearly exceeds Kakashi's, and once he gains the Summons and masters them, he will probably reach the level of the White Fang, Kakashi's father. As for complaints about over powering, come on people, Pein used a single technique to nuke an entire village, compared to that, I don't see how anything I do can stack up, and that is if we ignore characters like Hashirama and Madara who play with Bijuu as if they were their pets. As for Jiraiya stating that killing seventy men under twenty seconds is a decent level, you must remember that for the past five years, along with his enhanced abilities, Raiha has been trained personally by Tsunade and Jiraiya, and therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the Sannin judge him by far different standards than applicable to normal shinobi. As it is, that fight would have been over in six to seven seconds if it had been one of the Sannin fighting it.

**P.S. 7.** As for Itachi, well, he has mastered his Sharingan, but he has not gained the Mangekyo Sharingan as he has not met Madara yet, and yes, therefore his skills are far lower than Raiha's, for the moment. The Hyuuga incident will occur next followed by the Uchiha clan debacle, after which we move to the main arcs of the story.

* * *


	3. An ordinary day in Konoha

* * *

**Kumogakure, Raikage's Office,**

* * *

"So, it is decided, then?" Yugito asked quietly.

The Raikage looked over at the younger woman, knowing why the plan had been formulated. It was a good plan, he admitted to himself, an effective plan. It had elements of brilliance in its daring. But Yugito had allowed personal feelings to influence her judgment. That wasn't so good, as his brother was wont to say. He turned towards the window, and watched the dark night bathing the countryside of Kumogakure in a pale white glow as he considered the ramifications of what they were about to attempt.

"Yes."

* * *

**Konohagakure no Sato, Kumo Safe house, 2 Days Later,**

* * *

The two men hunched over the blow-up of the map, flanked by several eight-by-ten photographs.

"This is going to be the hard one," the one on the right said. "This I can't help with."

"What is the problem, Nakamura?" the one on the left asked even though he could see it, but by asking this question he could gauge the skill of his new associate. He had never worked with a rookie before, and as such, he was an unknown quantity, at least in an operational sense.

"He always comes out by the East Gate, here. This street, as you see is a dead end. He has to go straight west or turn north coming out. He has done both. This street here is wide enough to do the job, but this one – too narrow, and it leads straight towards the Uchiha Military Police HQ. Going that way is suicide. That means the only sure spot is right here, but even if we conduct the op, getting out is going to be a bitch. They will have the village in lock down in minutes," Nakamura pointed. "Both these streets are narrow and always have pedestrian traffic on both sides. This building is apartments. These are houses – expensive ones. There is not much pedestrian traffic here, oddly enough. Your guy has to wing this alone, and he's gotta be quick on his feet. Otherwise, he is toast, Shigeo-san."

"How does he get out?" Shigeo asked.

"It is just three streets away from the safe house, and once he gets here; he can use a reverse summoning seal that will be placed here. If he makes it in, he can activate it and teleport himself to Kumo and be home free," Nakamura spoke softly.

"Why not catch him at a different place?" Shigeo asked softly.

Nakamura shook his head, "Too hard. The roads are too crowded in the area, and the ANBU are always on prowl, and it'd be too easy to lose him. You've seen the foot traffic, Shigeo-san, and he never goes exactly the same way twice. If you want my opinion, you should split the operation, do it one part at a time, like Yugito-sama suggested."

The next moment, the table was upturned as Nakamura found his neck under Shigeo's grip, "Don't ever…ever call that whore as Yugito-sama in my presence, you understand?" the man spoke in a guttural tone as his eyes turned bloodshot.

"That whore…how dare they tell me to take my orders from her? She is not even a fucking human being…and yet that overgrown mastodon orders me to take my orders from that wench…I will…," the man ranted as he loosened his grip on Nakamura's neck.

"Hey…hey…calm down, Shigeo-san, okay, relax, take a deep breath," Nakamura tried to calm the man hoping desperately that the irate Jonin wouldn't kill him.

"Listen, and listen well, Nakamura, we'll do it the way I want, not how that wench wants it," Shigeo spoke harshly as the rookie immediately nodded in agreement.

As the older man walked out, he slowly wiped the sweat off his brow. He had to inform Yugito immediately.

Meanwhile, on the ground, the pictures of Hyuuga Hiashi lay beneath his feet, trampled beyond recognition.

* * *

**Uchiha Military Police Headquarters, Konoha, the following day,**

* * *

In the halls of the Uchiha Military Police HQ, Sergeant Yashiro Uchiha, the deputy head of the Konoha Military Police, walked down the double line of military policemen, and his long-practiced eyes didn't miss a thing. One man had lint on his green, high-necked chunin vest. Another's shoes needed a little more work, and two needed haircuts; you could barely see their scalps under the quarter-inch hair. All in all, there wasn't much to be displeased with. Everyone would have passed a normal inspection, but this wasn't a normal institution, and normal rules didn't apply. Yashiro was not a screamer. He'd got past that. His remonstrations were more fatherly now. They carried the force of a command from God nevertheless. He finished the inspection and dismissed the guard detail to allow them to move on to their patrols.

Though he didn't know it, he was about to have a very interesting day.

* * *

**At the same time, in the Kumo Safe House, Konoha, **

* * *

Shigeo assembled the mercenaries he had hired and assigned them their duties. Although, he and Nakamura were the only illegal agents present in Konoha, they couldn't afford to get reckless. These men were disposable thugs, lured with the task of making some easy money, and as such they had been tasked with creating a diversion, which he would use to accomplish his mission.

"Renji?"

"Yes, Shigeo-san?" Renji Abarai, known as Renji, hadn't stopped going over the maps and photographs of the targets since he had entered the safe house.

One of the most experienced assassins in the nuke-nin world, hiring him hadn't been that easy, but it was worth it. Shigeo planned to use him as the main diversion making aspect of his plan, thereby allowing him to conduct his task. Assassinating a man of Hiashi Hyuuga's caliber wasn't an easy task after all.

"Exactly at twenty past ten, you understand?"

"Hai."

* * *

**Near the Uchiha Military Police HQ, time 10:00, **

* * *

The watch in front of the Police HQ changed at ten, and the new guard on station was young Inabi Uchiha, the nephew of Sergeant Yashiro Uchiha. As such, he was rather over enthusiastic in his duty, hoping to one day make a name for himself like his renowned relatives Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi. As such, caught in the trappings of his duty, he remained in the guard house, and didn't notice a man walk past the guard house and enter a café on the opposite side of the street.

_It was five past ten, by then._

Fifty feet away, an elderly lady who observed it from a hidden vantage point walked towards the guardhouse and calmly called out Inabi who looked surprised at being called.

"Yes, madam?" Inabi asked in slight curiosity as he greeted the old woman politely.

"Well, young man, I would like to ask how you military police can allow a dangerous criminal like that hoodlum over there to walk scot-free?" she asked in a chiding tone as Inabi's eyes widened.

"What criminal? What do you mean?" the young man asked the old woman who hit him on the head with her handbag.

"That red headed man sitting over there by the window!! Honestly, you young boys are all so inept. I am going to complain to Fugaku-kun," she trilled as she waved her hands and pointed towards Renji who was sitting near the window calmly sipping a cup of tea.

Inabi was now scared. If this old bat knew the clan head and complained, then his career would end before it began.

"Please wait here, madam," the young man spoke hastily as he ran inside to call his uncle.

As the young man ran inside, the old woman walked over to a corner and slowly used the Shunshin to leave the area, with a thin smirk adorning her face.

Nii Yugito's mission was going to be handled by an agency of the government of Konohagakure no Sato.

* * *

**Around the same time, near the east gate of the Hyuuga Mansion,**

* * *

Meanwhile, near the empty street at the exit near the Hyuuga mansion, Shigeo was waiting impatiently for Hyuuga Hiashi to exit the compound.

He saw that the man was walking alone without any guards from the branch house accompanying him as well.

_What luck!! We will never get a better chance than this;_ the Kumo agent spoke to himself and waited patiently for the man to stop speaking with the guards at the gate, and to move a bit further.

After a couple of minutes, the man finished speaking with the guards and moved out.

"About bloody time," Shigeo growled as he finally saw the man walk out. In his hurry and excitement, he didn't notice the one minor thing that could have saved his life. The man he was targeting was wearing a forehead protector, when it was known universally that Hyuuga Hiashi never wore a forehead protector, ever. Because of his misjudgment, things were about to take a very drastic turn in the future.

"Why the hell is he so late?" Shigeo growled as he and his men got ready.

"He is a clan head, boss, sometimes these things happen," one of the men he had hired opined, for which he was rewarded with a glare.

"Let's roll."

_It was ten past ten._

* * *

**In front of the UMP HQ, 10:12,**

* * *

"Well, where is that old lady?" Yashiro asked in irritation as he was dragged out of his office by his nephew, Inabi.

"She…she's gone…, damn it, the old crone said she knew the captain, she must have gone to complain to the Captain," Inabi swore as the older man raised his eyebrows.

"Well, where is this so called criminal that she wanted off the streets?" Yashiro asked sarcastically, at which Inabi pointed out Renji, who was still sitting in the café drinking tea as if nothing had happened.

As Yashiro looked at the man, his eyes went so wide that his eyebrows rose into his hairline.

"RENJI ABARAI!!! What the fuck is that asshole doing here? How the hell did he get inside Konoha in the first place?" Yashiro wondered out loud as Inabi loosened the flap of his holster seeing the look on his uncle's face.

"You," he called out to a patrolman who was standing guard at the gate and dragged him aside, "Go and get the entire department outside, now," he ordered as the terrified patrolman ran inside.

"What do you mean by 'the entire department'?" Inabi asked in shock as he eyed his uncle who brought out his fully matured Sharingan. Seriously, was that red haired dude such a big deal? Had the old crone been correct? Was he some sort of super criminal? Inabi would never know the magnitude of his error.

"Everybody, now!!" the older man nearly screamed as few passers-by stopped and looked at the old man in surprise. Fortunately, Renji missed that altercation, unfortunately, that would be the cause of his death.

"Inabi, go get Shisui, now!! I want him here, ASAP!!' Yashiro ordered Inabi who vanished instantly in a Shunshin.

Five minutes later, Renji Abarai found himself surrounded by Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Yashiro and the entire Uchiha Military Police while the frightened patrons of the café scrambled away.

He looked at the time.

_It was twenty past ten_. He had caused a diversion all right, only it had not gone in the way he had intended.

* * *

**At the same time, near the Hyuuga Mansion,**

* * *

As the Hyuuga clan head walked ahead, suddenly, five flash tags erupted in front of him, blinding him for a scant second. At that moment, an exploding tag went off in front of him and he was blown back, broken and clearly bleeding.

As Shigeo and his men prepared to flee the area, they noticed a commotion at the Hyuuga gate. He nearly had a heart attack when he saw the Hyuuga clan head and a few members of the Hyuuga clan race towards them and the downed man.

**Two of them? …what was…?**

He didn't have any time to think, as he vanished using the Shunshin leaving his hired thugs to deal with the Hyuugas.

As he reappeared inside the safe house, he was further shocked to his core when he saw Nakamura and Yugito teleport away using the one time reverse summoning seal. Just as she disappeared, Yugito gave him a cheery wave, and that moment, Shigeo realized that he had been screwed; by someone he had considered his inferior.

* * *

When Hyuuga Hiashi noticed his twin brother being brought down by an explosion created by what appeared to be a group of assassins, he raced forward abandoning all pretenses.

The ring leader vanished using a Shunshin, but his men were still there, and one of them had withdrawn a sword, and was about to plunge it into Hizashi's bleeding head. He never got the chance. Hiashi's Jyuuken strike blew his heart right out of his body through a spectacular shower of blood, erupting out of his back like a fountain, and it fell on the ground still beating before it stilled while the man crashed down, deader than a stone.

The rest of the thugs went down like moths in a flame against the other Hyuuga clan members, and it was all over, as quickly as it began.

* * *

The ANBU squad that teleported in, was treated to a rare sight. The Hyuuga clan head and his men were trying to stabilize a wounded man, who upon inspection was revealed to be his brother. They grimaced. This was going to be a real shit storm.

They began to move out and scanned the area for residual explosives and also any stragglers who might have stayed back to watch the proceedings. And when they did, they found out that the backlash of the explosion had killed some of the civilians who were walking on the other side of the road as well. They swore. This was definitely not a good day. Damn, and the mess-hall had prepared a feast in the honor of the new hokage's arrival as well too, and it would seem that they would miss it. The guy who did this was in for a shitload and half of trouble. Ibiki would tear them a new one over this, in the absence of Kakashi, and the new hokage was due to arrive today...Jesus, and this was not how they intended to make a good impression on her, was it? Yep, things were pretty bad, all right.

However, all of them would soon realize that things were going to be much worse in the next few hours, before they got better.

* * *

**Half an hour later, UMP HQ, Interrogation Block,**

* * *

Renji Abarai was brought into the interrogation room, bound hand to foot, and was surrounded by three of the Uchiha clan members who would act as interrogators for this mission. Uchiha Yashiro, Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Inabi.

"Well, let us start," Inabi, the green horn spoke out as Yashiro scowled at him.

"We wait for the ANBU to arrive, it is standard procedure. Three policemen and an ANBU, besides this scumbag is actually big enough to warrant an ANBU presence," the sergeant scowled as he eyed the prisoner distastefully.

Just then, the doors opened and Fugaku Uchiha, the head of the military police walked in, flanked by an ANBU operative.

"So, what gives, gentlemen?" the captain asked without preamble as he looked at his subordinates. Shisui looked towards Yashiro who nodded and began.

"Sir, guardsman Inabi Uchiha here was accosted by a senior citizen who lodged a complaint against this here individual. Her complaint was rather vociferous, and since the subject was unknown to him, Inabi here, called me in to report. I identified him as Renji Abarai, B-ranked Nuke Nin operating out of Takigakure and the land of Wood. So, we brought him in, and so far he has declined to speak with us, sir," Yashiro made his formal report.

"What did he have on him?" the ANBU asked quietly.

"Well sir, he was loaded with a shitload of explosive tags, so we presume he was here to cause a major terrorist act, upon the orders of his contractors, along with Kunai, Shuriken and some poison gas pellets, you know, the basic shit," the sergeant scowled.

"Alright, Abarai-san, can you please state your objective in coming here, please? This might go a long way in mitigating your sentence," the ANBU operative who was wearing a cat mask spoke curtly.

Renji continued to give him the silent treatment.

The ANBU sighed, "Look pal, I am doing this for your own good, all right. Otherwise, it is the ANBU interrogation cells for you. You better start talking pal, the ANBU are in a shitty mood tonight. There ain't a dude alive who wants to mess with Ibiki Morino today. You would be safer with, say Orochimaru, than with him. I am doing this for your own good, believe it," the man spoke softly as the eyes of the Uchiha's who were watching narrowed in suspicion.

"What do you mean, sir?" Yashiro Uchiha asked quietly. His senses were tingling badly and the old policeman knew that it was not a good sign. He had a hunch that something had gone wrong, and his hunches were usually correct, most of the time.

"Somebody tried to off Hyuuga Hiashi, just some time ago, but they missed and got his twin brother instead, and they messed that up as well, and blew some civilians along the way too. The Hyuuga's took out all the assassins except one dude, who got away. The village is in lock down as of now on orders from the Hokage. The ANBU on patrol are real pissed. You better start praying buddy, because if you don't talk, I got no problems in handing you over to Ibiki, you dig? You know about Ibiki Morino, right?" the ANBU asked quietly as Renji gulped. He knew who Ibiki was all right, he was the boogeyman of the nuke nin operating around Konoha.

"You serious?" Inabi asked with his jaws wide open while even Shisui stared in curiosity at the ANBU. However, the look of stony silence on Fugaku's face confirmed it. It was serious, all right.

Suddenly, Yashiro connected the dots.

"Sir, you might want to call in Ibiki-san, after all. We caught this dude around the time this shit got pulled off. And he was wired to cause some major damage, which would have made a nice diversion for that shit. Maybe he is a part of this shindig, and maybe he was hired to do that very thing, to help those assassins get away," Yashiro spoke rapidly, while Renji began to sweat.

"Wait a minute, is that true, pal? Because if it is, you are in real deep shit sonny, you better tell me something, if you want to save your ass," the ANBU spoke gruffly as he glared at Renji, but Renji still remained silent.

"Well, looks like we might have to call in Ibiki-san, after all," the ANBU rose when Inabi stopped him. Everyone turned to look at the rookie, who signaled them to be silent.

"ANBU-san, you say that the Hyuuga head was attacked, but they missed and got his brother, right? If that is the case, then let us hand this shithead over to the Hyuuga clan. I mean they have got real motive to get the truth out of this guy, it is their clan these assholes hit after all," the youngster spoke softly, while Renji became dead still which did not go unnoticed by the others.

Catching on to his nephew's game, Yashiro retorted, "You outta your mind, boy? The mood they are in currently, those Hyuuga's will eat this punk alive!! You want that on your conscience?" he asked in a growl while everybody became silent.

"Yes, I think your idea has merit, Inabi," Fugaku spoke for the first time as the others nodded gingerly as well.

Seeing that, Renji finally broke.

Ten minutes later, the UMP and the ANBU had the address of Shigeo's safe house in their hands.

Another five minutes later, Renji Abarai, nuke nin, was declared officially dead in the records of the Uchiha Military Police.

* * *

**Konoha Medical Center, One hour after the attack,**

* * *

Hiashi Hyuuga charged through the entrance of the Shock-Trauma Centre and identified himself at the reception desk, whose occupant directed him to a waiting room where, she said firmly, he would be notified as soon as there was anything to report. The sudden change from action to inaction disoriented Hiashi enormously. He stood at the entrance of the waiting room for some minutes, his mind a total blank as it struggled with the situation.

The Shock-Trauma Centre – dubbed as the first response to all major medical emergencies – had begun at the end of the second war as the dream of a brilliant, aggressive and supremely arrogant medic now known worldwide as Senju Tsunade, the greatest medical ninja of all time. The department had bludgeoned its way forward by cutting a bloody swath through all bureaucratic and political hurdles, sometimes literally, to emerge as the pinnacle of medical expertise in the entire world.

It had blossomed into a dazzling, legendary success. Shock-Trauma was the leading edge of emergency medical technology and the best medic – nin came out of this division. It had already pioneered many techniques for critical care, and in doing so had brutally overthrown many historical precepts of conventional medicine – which had not endeared its founder to her medical brethren.

That would have been true in any field, and Shock-Trauma's founder had not helped the process any by her acerbic and outspoken opinions. Her greatest – but unacknowledged – crime, of course, was being right in nearly all details. And while she had left, dejected, after suffering from the death of her fiancé, in her absence, that department still stood as a monument of testimony to her brilliance in the medical field. Shock-Trauma assignment was the dream of every aspiring medic in the village.

_But will they be good enough?_ Hiashi asked himself.

He lost all track of time, waiting, afraid to look at the time, afraid to speculate on the significance of time's flight. He reflected upon the events remembering that in his arrogance, blinded by his position, he had ignored his brother, who was now battling for his life. He was not ignorant, and he realized that it was he who had been targeted, but it was his brother who had paid the price. His brother had been dealt a raw hand by fate. A few seconds of difference, and it might have been so that he would have switched roles with his brother. That humbled him, making him realize the pain and suffering his brother underwent on a daily basis, and it made him feel helpless and ashamed. For the first time, he cursed the tradition of his own clan which wantonly bifurcated family as if they were mere playthings.

Sarutobi, who watched the clan head from aside, shook his head in sorrow. He had seen such things happen, far too many times, but they hurt all the same.

Soon, the door opened, and a medic came in.

"Hiashi-sama, I am here to tell you the condition of your brother," he spoke as he looked at the distraught Hyuuga clan head.

"Your brother is in critical condition," the man spoke bluntly, seeing no way out of explaining the mess.

Hiashi nearly choked with his next breath.

"We have been working on him for the past five hours. We had to remove the spleen – that's okay, you can live without the spleen," the medic didn't mention that the spleen was an important part of the body's defense against infection, and continued, "The liver had a moderately extensive stellate fracture and damage to the main artery that feeds blood into the organ. We had to remove about a quarter about the liver – again there is no problem with that- and I _think _we fixed the arterial damage, and I _think_ the repair will hold. The liver is important. It has a great deal to do with blood formation and the body's biochemical balance. You can't live without it. If liver function is maintained…he'll probably make it. As for the rest, the explosion caused many cracks in the bone structures, but they are easy to heal, same thing with the shrapnel, we removed them all, and healed the damage caused by them," the man stopped as he rubbed his forehead.

"It all depends on the liver, if it continues to work, he will survive. We are keeping a very close watch on the blood chemistry, and we'll know more in another ten hours, sir," he finished his report and bowed and left, leaving a thoroughly shaken brother behind.

"Hiashi," a voice came behind him, and the man turned around to see the Sandaime, "Do not worry Hiashi, Tsunade will be arriving in a few hours, and I will ask her to handle this case, personally," the hokage spoke quietly and instantly, the man let out a deep sigh.

If Tsunade were to get involved, then his brother would make it.

"However, I am here for another reason," the Sandaime continued as he looked at the feeling of relief that appeared on the man's face, "We have discovered the hide-out of the assassin who has done this," the hokage concluded.

Hiashi's eyes narrowed, "Hokage-sama, I would like to be involved in this," the head of the Hyuuga clan spoke in a cold tone.

"Of course, I will be conducting the take-down personally," the Sandaime spoke in a genial tone masked by a steely visage, becoming very much 'the professor', as he was known.

* * *

**Kumo safe house, six hours after the attack,**

* * *

Within the safe house, Shigeo rapidly analyzed his situation. He had a blown op and was now stranded in enemy territory, without any assistance. The situation was bleak. He rapidly began to salvage around the safe house, to find anything that could aid him. He had to abandon the safe house as soon as possible, because he knew that the Konoha Ninja would find it out within the next few hours. They were annoyingly good at such things.

His eyes burned fiercely as he remembered Yugito's cheery wave_…wait, what the hell was she doing here? Shouldn't she be in Kumo?_

"_Don't ever…ever call that whore as Yugito-sama in my presence, you understand?"_ the memory of him threatening Nakamura came unbidden in his mind…

NAKAMURA…that son of a bitch had ratted him out!!!

Shigeo growled and punched out the wall in frustration. Nakamura was a rookie who had been assigned to this mission from Yugito's platoon, because the mission specs had been originally drawn by Yugito, but he had suborned Nakamura forcibly to conduct the mission in his chosen manner, abandoning Yugito's plans, _and that rat faced bastard had ratted out on him to her_.

_She was the one who had sabotaged his mission as a reply to his insubordination!! That conniving bitch!!_

He realized that his career was now over. An illegal identified by an enemy nation would never be accepted back in his home village. If he managed to escape, he would be forced to be a nuke nin, because Kumogakure could not give asylum to a wanted fugitive, and since Kumo and Konoha were not at war publicly, he would not be a prisoner of war, but considered as a nuke nin and methods of dealing with nuke nin were much harsher than with POW's.

Also, revenge against Yugito was out of the question. Even though he was a pathological male chauvinist, subconsciously, even he realized that he would never be a match for the Jinchuuriki of the Nibi no Nekomata.

_But I will not forget this, Yugito; you will pay for your treachery._

* * *

Meanwhile, outside the safe house, a different scenario was playing out. More than 15 squads of the ANBU were now surrounding the house, with 5 of them maintaining close perimeter watch, while the UMP had cleared out all civilians and set up an external perimeter watch.

This mission had taken a very serious nature indeed, with the hokage himself supervising the take-down aided by the Hyuuga clan head, and the ANBU knew what it meant. Their commander was away on a mission, and therefore the Hokage had stepped in personally. Failure was not an option, not in this case.

"It seems that he is alone, Hokage-sama, the walls are laced with anti-intrusion seals, as well as a proximity alarm seal, and is overlaid with a level seven trap seal," one of the ANBU reported as he bowed down.

"Hmm," the hokage mused as he stroked his beard, "What do you think, Hiashi?" the hokage asked the opinion of the Hyuuga clan head who looked at the building calculatively.

"It would seem that he holds the advantage inside the safe house, we have no idea of what the interior defenses are, or how many people are inside if there is more than one person inside that is, and if they have gone to such lengths to apply basic exterior defenses, then I believe our only option would be to flush him/them out," Hiashi spoke gutturally.

"Yes, I surmised as much," the Sandaime nodded, "Would you do the honors?" the old man asked genially.

"My pleasure," Hiashi nodded as he activated his Byakugan, with veins bulging at the side of his eyes

As soon as the proximity seal on the safe house sensed a Byakugan trying to interfere with the anti –intrusion seal to breach the anti-visual obstruction ward, a number of things happened simultaneously.

Shigeo who was inside the house, instantly became alert as alarms blazed, and realizing that his hide out was blown, he moved to activate the counter measures.

The basic counter measure for a safe house in enemy territory, which when discovered was to destroy it and all sensitive materials inside. As such, he raced to the basement knowing that he had scant seconds before the Konoha ANBU would storm him. It was a drill he had practiced many times.

He took a demolition charge and placed it in the middle of a room, whose walls were plastered with explosive tags. He took the charge and attached it to a random tag, and prepared to set a time delayed seal.

However, he had not anticipated one thing, Yugito.

The resourceful woman, before bugging out of Konoha, had left a farewell present for him, which he hadn't anticipated. She had saturated the sealed chakra within the explosive tags by a liberal dosage of the Nibi no Nekomata's Chakra, and the demolition charge was ten kilograms of TNT. It made for a rather explosive combination. Shigeo, who was unaware of this, rapidly attached the demolition charge to an explosive tag, and activated the time-delayed fusion sequence for detonation, when something caught his notice. He instantly paled as he realized what that meant. Yugito had screwed him one final time, again.

When Shigeo saw the explosive tags turn blue, he knew that he was critically short on time. He rapidly made seals for the Shunshin, praying that he make it before he blew himself up. He made it, although barely.

The ten kilograms of TNT combined with the super charged explosive tags laced with the chakra of the Nibi no Nekomata combusted, and created an explosion that roared out of the basement with a sound like the end of the world, and exploded virulently.

The building exploded like a glass bottle, sending out a hailstorm of shrapnel in all directions. The five ANBU squads maintaining proximity watch were shredded instantly to nothing. Sarutobi leapt into the fray and put forth all his chakra and raised a massive barrier and saved the lives of everybody else.

Once the explosion abated, the eyes of the remaining Konoha ninja turned murderous.

"He is escaping, he is making to the gates, but he seems to be severely injured," Hiashi, whose Byakugan could look from one end of Konoha to another, reported after scanning the entire village in mere seconds.

"To the gates," Sarutobi roared as he vanished in a blazing Shunshin. Nearly, a hundred ninja followed their leader, intent on catching the murderous terrorist.

* * *

**At the Village gates,**

* * *

Shigeo knew he was dying. The explosion had incinerated his left arm to ashes, and he was badly burnt. He was having difficulty breathing, and blood raced down his sides, freely splattering the ground.

Despite all this, one name was constantly ringing in his mind.

_YUGITO……BETRAYAL……_

As he neared the gate, he realized that he would not even make it out of the gate before he perished. He was losing too much blood, and too many of his internal organs had been damaged, to keep his body functioning properly. Suddenly, his peripheral vision caught sight of a blond woman and her entourage at the gate.

_Yugito……so you are here to watch me die…bitch…demon whore_

With a yell, the dying man roared and charged at the blond woman, who looked surprised and taken aback. However, that did not stop her from retaliating. She drew her hand back and delivered a mighty punch, _cleanly detaching his head from his body_.

Sarutobi and his men, who were pursuing the enemy ninja stopped to watch the strange scene, mesmerized. The blond woman at the gate had dealt a single punch which had cleanly detached the enemy's head. They all watched as the man's head sailed through the air like a football, passing at least 200 yards from the gate, before falling down to ground, and rolling around until it came to a stop near Sarutobi's feet.

"Well, that was rather anti-climatic," Hiashi spoke curtly with his eye twitching lightly as he eyed the head of the man who had tried to kill his brother roll down near his feet.

"Who the heck is she?" Inabi Uchiha, who was in the pursuit squad, asked with fear laced in his tone. He was not the only one who was scared like that. Most of the people in the pursuit squad were eyeing the blond woman apprehensively, and with no small amount of fear.

"Did you see that?"

"Holy shit man!! She punched his head off as if it was made of paper!!"

"Damn!! That's a real scary chick!!"

"I bet she is single!!"

The clamor and noises stopped when Sarutobi raised his hand, and after they fell silent, the hokage spoke with a small smile on his face, "It would seem that the new Hokage has arrived in Konoha rather quickly after all."

* * *

**P.S. 1.** Well, first of all, I would like to clear up some misunderstandings. Some of the readers have pointed out that comparing Raiha's power levels to Kakashi is a mistake. People, you must realize this, this is not the Kakashi who appears in the manga and anime after retiring from the ANBU. This is the Kakashi who is still in his prime, the commander of ANBU, Sharingan Kakashi of one thousand techniques, and he is much much stronger than what he appears as in the manga and anime. The ANBU commander is supposed to be the 'XO' of the hokage, the de-facto second in command, which makes him one of the top five ninja in the village after the Hokage.

**P.S. 2.** Secondly, some raised the thoughts that since Raiha had mastered his abilities he should now be as powerful as the Nidaime. Impossible. People, you must remember this, he was imbued with the abilities of the Nidaime, just like Yamato was with the Mokuton abilities of the Shodai. He is a genetic clone of the Nidaime. _Just because he was granted the abilities of the Nidaime, it doesn't mean that he will automatically become a reincarnation of the second hokage itself._ He is not the original; he is a copy, an excellent copy, but a copy nonetheless.

**P.S. 3.** As such, his powers will be far less than that of Senju Tobirama, although he does possess the potential to match him. Just because he was trained by Tsunade and at some point by Jiraiya, coupled with the presence of his latent bloodline doesn't automatically make him a kage level shinobi. Currently, his skill is that of a high level ANBU. He has yet to master the complete repertoire of Senju Tobirama's techniques, which he will, after he moves to Konoha, and he has yet to gain the Raijin. You must remember people, that it was the combination of his techniques and the sword of Raijin which made the Nidaime into such a bad ass. Once Raiha masters those techniques and gains the sword and masters it as well, I will bump him up to Kage-level. After he gains the summons, I will probably bump him to Pein's level. But until then, he will nevertheless remain as a highly skilled ANBU, but he will still be within the top five of the village, power and ability wise.

**P.S. 4.** Another major point of contention which was mentioned to me was that the age disparity between Tsunade and Raiha was too great for them to be actual grandmother and grandson. People, please, she is the granddaughter of the Shodai, while he is considered to be the great grandson of the Nidaime, which would in reality, make him her grand-nephew or something along similar lines. He just calls her as 'grandmother', that is all.

* * *


	4. Interlude: Tsunade's Council woes

* * *

"The courtesy of Konoha seems to have lessened as of late, Sarutobi-sensei, this is…quite a welcome," Tsunade spoke curtly as she eyed all the shinobi standing near the other side of the gates, with a raised eye.

An awkward silence fell over the area, as most of the ninja present lowered their eyes in apparent shame. One man…one man had led them on a merry chase all around and had caused all this devastation, and yet…despite their best efforts, the new hokage who was entering the village for the first time, had had to take care of the problem personally. It was quite a devastating blow to the pride and egos of all the ninja present in the area. The new hokage had arrived at the village and after seeing their performance, had found them wanting…not how they had imagined welcoming her, definitely not.

"Much has happened today Tsunade, and not all of it has been good, I must admit," Sarutobi spoke in a reproachful tone, as he looked at her, as if he was admonishing her for her sarcastic tone.

"I can see that," Tsunade admitted, as she took a good look around. "Looks like an enemy raid, although its execution seems to have been shoddy. So, who was it, Kumogakure?" Tsunade asked as she moved in, while her entourage followed her quietly.

"It would appear so, although we cannot be certain," another voice came out, and all of the people present turned to see the three elders of the village, Homura Mitokado, Utatane Koharu, and Danzo walk in towards the area of disturbance.

Homura, who had been the one to speak, continued, "It is good to see you again, Tsunade, although, I do wish that the circumstances were different," the old man spoke softly as he eyed the new hokage.

"Regardless of this, the announcement must be made; Genma, Hayate, announce to the villagers that the new hokage has arrived, and has dealt with the situation personally. The villagers need to be assured that the situation is under control," Koharu ordered curtly, as the two Jonin instantly bowed and vanished.

"It is good to see that the new hokage can act forcefully when needed. Welcome back, Tsunade-hime," Danzo spoke in a curt, but polite tone as he looked at her. Tsunade nodded curtly at the old man, and looked at her teacher.

"Well, Sarutobi-sensei, Shall we get on with the matters at hand? I had planned on taking some rest, but it seems that I have gotten myself involved in this mess. So, do you wish to handle this, or should I?" she asked wanly as she looked around.

"You are the Godaime now, Tsunade, even though you have not yet taken over. I am the hokage in only name, as of now. Deal with it, as you will," Sarutobi spoke in a pleased tone, happy that his student was no longer willing to shirk her duties as of before.

"All right, guess I am back in business then," Tsunade spoke out loudly so that everyone could hear her. The new Hokage had arrived and was now in charge.

"Kakashi," she barked loudly as Kakashi stood at attention, "Jiraiya must be around here somewhere. Take your squad with you and find him, and bring him to the Hokage tower, and do whatever it takes to do so. Tell that pervert that if he doesn't agree, I will be......'_upset'_," she spoke with a beautiful smile on her face, at which Kakashi and many other men gulped in fear. Kakashi and his squad vanished instantly as Tsunade looked at them pointedly, choosing wisely to escape her ire.

"Next," Tsunade continued in the same authoritative tone. When she took charge, she really took charge, "I want the village under lock down, no one gets in and no one gets out. I want the ANBU manning the perimeter of the village and I want any who try to violate that order arrested and interrogated," she spoke swiftly as most of the ANBU present bowed and vanished.

"Shizune, I want you to go to the medical center and take charge, and deal with all the injuries. Ah, Fugaku, you are here, good…good, I want the military police to arrest all the visitors and tourists in the village; have them detained and questioned regardless of their nationality and status. I don't care if they have diplomatic immunity. And start with the lightning country ambassador as well as the Kumo diplomat, move," she ordered curtly as Fugaku nodded and left, although he seemed to be rather apprehensive. Shizune threw a tremulous look at her master as she left as well.

"Tsunade, that could cause a diplomatic incident…perhaps," Koharu began when Tsunade raised her hand to stop the old woman.

"I have been traveling for five days, I am tired, I am sore and I just had to take down an enemy myself, something which you people failed at. Now is not the time for niceties, and I don't give a damn what happens. Someone attacked us, and me, and I want to know who they were, and I will. I don't care what I have to do to get the answers. Sarutobi-sensei, let us go," the irate blond woman spoke harshly as the eyes of the councilors went wide, although Danzo had a look of approval on his face.

_Looks like she has changed…and for the better…this is a welcome surprise…_

"Raiha, come…," she beckoned to the young man standing at the corner in an imperious tone, and for the first time, the eyes of the councilors and the remaining ninja fell upon the young man who was standing at the corner, observing everything silently.

Koharu and Homura, who along with Sarutobi, had been the students of Tobirama, did not take long to notice the resemblance, and neither did Danzo.

The boy was of medium height, and had a lithe build. If not for the brown markings on his face, at the bottom of his chin, he would have had a perfectly androgynous look. Dressed in all white, and carrying that sword strapped at his back, the young man looked like a younger version of the Nidaime Hokage although there were some noticeable differences in the facial structure.

"Raiha-kun, it is good to see you again. These old eyes have missed you. I am afraid this village will have need of you before long, my boy," Sarutobi spoke in a genial tone as he moved towards the boy.

"Sarutobi-jiisama, it is good to see you again. I am glad to see you in good health," the young man spoke in a monotone voice, while his face showed no expressions at all. Sarutobi laughed at that.

"Tsunade…who is this boy…and why does he look like…," Koharu began as she looked the boy once over and stopped as she looked at the face of Tsunade expectantly.

Tsunade sighed, knowing that she was in for a major tongue lashing by the councilors, and continued, "His name is Raiha. He is my grandson, well, technically grand-nephew, I suppose. He is the great grandson of Tobirama-otooji, and I have been raising him in secret all these years," she concluded in a wan tone as the boy made a formal bow to the three elders.

"WHAT???"

"Tsunade!" Koharu screeched as she looked at the younger woman with incensed eyes, "How could you keep such a thing like this secret from us?" "**Us**?" she again spoke with added emphasis on the word.

"Yes," Homura added, with his face also coloring up, "This is not something to be kept secret from the Go-Ikenban!! The village has a right to know such important secrets!! To think that the Senju clan has had an heir, and you, of all people, kept that a secret from us!! And Sarutobi, how could you?? We are the students of Tobirama-sensei as well, how could you not inform us of this? Why?" the man asked with a rather pained look on his face, while Sarutobi bowed his head down in apology.

"Enough!!" Tsunade roared, as the two councilors composed themselves, although their eyes were still mutinous, "This is neither the place nor the proper time to discuss this!! Now, move!!" she all but roared while the two elders nodded stiffly, although still looking mutinous.

"Raiha…," Tsunade called out and the boy stiffened as he replied, "Grandmother. Please go ahead, I shall join you shortly," he spoke out in a stiff tone, at which Tsunade looked him once over, and nodded stiffly.

"Don't take too long," she warned as she left with the elders who gave a curious glance at the boy.

"Do not worry, Godaime-sama, I shall escort him personally to the towers," Hiashi who was standing at the side spoke out at which Tsunade nodded curtly in agreement.

As soon as she was out of earshot, the whisperings began.

"Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, her grandson, whoa!!"

"The great-grandson of the Nidaime, wow!!"

"The last male Senju, hot damn, wait till the others hear this!!"

Ignoring all this, Raiha made his way towards the medic team which was busy in bagging Shigeo's corpse with Hiashi following him silently.

"Please desist for a while," the boy spoke curtly, but firmly, and the medics having heard the exchange of the hokage and the elders, nodded respectfully and stepped back.

As soon as he neared the man's corpse which had been put together by the medics, Raiha knelt down, and brought a scroll out of his pouch and spread it open on the ground.

Hiashi opted to remain silent, and watched the newly revealed Senju boy, do his work.

Raiha rapidly began to flash through a number of seals, and when he finished, the three middle fingers of his right hand began to glow, and he placed them on the forehead of Shigeo's corpse.

"Senju Hijutsu: Kinen Ishoku," (Senju Hidden Technique: Memory transplant) he uttered the name of the technique as various symbols and characters began to form on the corpse's forehead, and began to move into his three glowing fingers. After some minutes, he stopped and withdrew the three glowing fingers and placed them on the empty scroll. Immediately, the characters which had entered his glowing fingers reappeared and began to rearrange themselves on the scroll, until they filled three quarters of it.

After which, he rolled up the scroll and looked at the medics, "You may dispose of this corpse," he informed the medics who nodded, "Hai, Raiha-dono," and with that, they took the corpse away.

Raiha turned to look towards Hiashi, and spoke, "I am sorry, that we have not been introduced yet, good sir. My name is Senju Raiha, and you are…," he asked quietly as he looked at the Hyuuga clan head.

"My name is Hyuuga Hiashi, Raiha-san. I am the head of the Hyuuga clan. Pleased to meet you," the man proffered his hand, which the young man clasped and let go very quickly after a brief shake.

"Shall we proceed to the Hokage tower?" Raiha asked as the Hyuuga head nodded and began to move forward with the youngster following him.

"If I may ask, what was it that you did? I have never seen a technique like this before," Hiashi asked quietly as Raiha replied curtly, "You shall know at the tower, I shall reveal everything there, please wait until we are at the presence of the new hokage," the young man spoke in a polite tone, and a miffed Hiashi nodded in agreement, rather curious as he eyed the enigmatic youngster.

* * *

"Unacceptable!! There is no excuse for this!! How do you justify yourself, Tsunade? You had no right to hide the existence of the boy!" Koharu spoke harshly as she eyed the younger woman. The old woman was quite upset at learning that her sensei had a descendant, and was incensed that she had not been informed of it.

The men in the room watched the interaction quietly, not wanting to interfere. Both women were known to have explosive tempers and none of them wanted to get caught in the backlash.

"And Sarutobi? How could you? I thought we were colleagues, friends, and yet, you kept the existence of the legacy of our sensei a secret, even from us? How could you?" the old woman turned her eye on the Sandaime who began to fidget.

"ENOUGH!!" Tsunade roared and smashed her fist onto the desk of the Hokage which crumbled to pieces at her onslaught. The elders, too shocked to retort just eyed her in surprise.

"Your opinions have no weight with me!! As Raiha's only living relative and elder, as well as being the person who has raised him, I alone possess the right to decide what should be done with regards to his upbringing!! The matters of my personal family are not the concern of the Go-Ikenban, do I make myself clear?" Tsunade growled as she eyed the elders who looked very offended.

"_Am I clear?_" Tsunade growled as she looked at the three elders who nodded stiffly. Koharu sat down with a huff and crossed her arms as she glared at the younger woman. _Guess I can't talk her down like I used to, when she was younger_, the old woman snorted as she looked at the new hokage.

"I think they got the message, Tsunade," a chuckle came near the windows, and everybody turned to see Jiraiya perched on the window-sill.

"Still, may we at least know the reason why his existence was kept secret?" Homura asked in a more reasonable tone as he eyed the blond woman.

"I wanted him to have a normal upbringing, that is all," Tsunade spoke softly as she looked at the three elders who had incredulous looks on their faces.

"And you couldn't provide that in this village, where he could have had everything at his disposal? You decided to raise the last living male heir of the Senju clan in a remote forest, because you wanted him to be normal? I am afraid I don't understand your reasoning, Tsunade," Koharu spoke shrilly as she eyed the younger woman in disbelief.

"This is exactly what I meant. If I had raised him in the village, the villagers and the people here would have pampered him, and spoiled him, because of who he is. Famous before he could walk and talk, all because of his heritage!! It would have turned any child's head around, and would have turned him into an arrogant and egotistical person, and I didn't wish that to happen. Do not deny it, you know what happens to the so called prodigies from bloodline clans, who are pampered and spoiled beyond limits, just because of their heritage! I did not wish that upon him," Tsunade spoke curtly as the ire of the elders deflated slightly.

"Not to mention that it would have made him in an instant target to the rest of the world. Every hidden village in the world would have sent their agents to either kidnap him or to eliminate him. After all, the potential of the Senju clan is known to the entire world, is it not?" Sarutobi asked in a reasonable tone and the ire of the elders deflated further, as they grudgingly accepted the words of the Sandaime hokage.

"Fine," Koharu conceded, "But we will be having words later, Sarutobi," she spoke in a steely tone as she eyed the hokage, with the promise of much more tongue lashing in the future, while Sarutobi winced at the thought.

"If you have decided to reveal the boy's existence," Danzo spoke for the first time, "It must mean that he is now capable of defending himself from any sort of threat. Just what sort of abilities does the boy possess?" he asked quietly as he glanced at the new hokage.

"He will surpass Sakumo in another three years," Jiraiya spoke bluntly, at which the three elders shot up in their chairs so fast, that it appeared as if they had used the Hiraishin itself to stand up. Looking at the silent looks of confirmation on the faces of Tsunade and Sarutobi, they slowly sat down as their minds came to terms with the thoughts.

"Heh, I guess that the Senju blood does run true after all," Danzo spoke in a soft tone with a small chuckle while the other two elders remained silent and poker-faced.

"When will he joi…," Homura began when the door opened and Raiha and Hiashi entered the chambers.

All talk stopped as Tsunade introduced him to the elders as the boy bowed down in greeting to them. All of them relocated to a small table at the end of the room, as Tsunade had smashed the desk in her outburst, and sat down while a secretary brought in some resfreshments and served them all and walked out with a quick bow.

_Heh, not even two minutes on the job, and she has already broken a desk, must be a new record,_ Jiraiya smirked as he eyed the room, and more importantly, the new hokage.

After everyone had settled down, Raiha took out the scroll which he had prepared and placed it in front of Tsunade, "Grandmother, this scroll contains all the details of what has transpired in the village today," he spoke curtly as he stood in a corner in rigid attention, while the jaws of the elders fell open.

"What? But how, that technique didn't…" Hiashi began to protest as Tsunade raised her hand and stopped him mid-tirade.

"Indeed. The investigations have not even begun yet, how could you have…," Koharu began as she looked at the boy in apprehension.

"Raiha, please explain to them," Tsunade ordered as she closed her eyes with a sigh after realizing what the boy had done.

"The technique that I used is a Hijutsu passed through the Senju clan for generations. It is a variation of the Yamanaka Hijutsu, and when used, it transcribes all the memories of a dead person into a scroll, thereby giving a detailed account of all his memories in the last seven days. As such, I used the technique on the corpse of the intruder who was terminated by grandmother at the village gates, and I have compiled the events of his memories of the last seven days," Raiha spoke in a drab monotone, while the eyes of the elders went wide. Even Jiraiya, Hiashi and Sarutobi were surprised.

"Impressive, most impressive," Danzo admitted softly as he evaluated the youngster quietly.

"I don't have time to read this now, I will look at it later, just give me a brief summarization," Tsunade ordered him, at which he nodded.

"The dead man was an illegal agent of Kumogakure, and he had indeed been ordered to assassinate Hyuuga Hiashi-san, however, his operation was sabotaged by his own superiors," Raiha spoke curtly at which even Tsunade's eyes narrowed.

"What does that mean?" Koharu spoke in surprise as she tried to assimilate the facts.

"It means that not everything is hunky-dory in the Kumo forces," Jiraiya spoke wanly.

"Internal dissension, perhaps," Sarutobi spoke out in speculation at which Raiha nodded in agreement.

"That indeed appears to be the case. Apparently, the person in charge of this mission was a female shinobi, and it would seem that this man chafed at being under the authority of a female, and as such, decided to disobey the female superior's orders and proceeded to conduct the operation in his own way, ignoring his orders. As a reply to his insubordination, his female superior sabotaged his operation, resulting in the mayhem that has occurred," Raiha concluded as the eyes of the elders narrowed.

Jiraiya whistled, "Quite a feisty female, I don't recall ever hearing of a female shinobi in Kumogakure who has enough clout to be assigned on such a sensitive mission, no offense Hiashi," Jiraiya spoke wanly as he eyed Hiashi who jerked his head narrowly in acceptance.

"Did you get any names worth salvaging?" Tsunade asked after a moment as she contemplated the information that was given.

"Only four, Shigeo, the deceased's name, Renji Abarai, a hired mercenary, Nakamura, another illegal who seems to have been residing in Konoha as a sleeper agent, and Nii Yugito, the aforementioned female. Nakamura and Yugito seem to have been the ones responsible for the sabotage, before they escaped to Kumogakure," Raiha concluded.

"And you got all this information, through one technique?" Homura asked in surprise at which Raiha nodded.

"The technique that I used, through judicious use of a combination of Fuinjutsu and human anatomical knowledge, transcribes all the memories of a deceased person into the medium chosen to transcribe the details upon. Unless specifically warded, all the memories residing in the brain will be copied, transformed and transcribed, given the proviso that the brain has suffered no significant damage," Raiha concluded at which everyone became silent.

"Kinen Ishoku, huh?" Tsunade asked gruffly at which the young man nodded silently.

"Well done," Tsunade spoke into a small smile as she looked at him.

"One more thing," Raiha spoke out softly, at which everybody turned to look at him, "It would appear that this Nii Yugito is in fact, a jinchuuriki. The Jinchuuriki of the Nibi no Nekomata, at least according to the memories of the deceased man."

It was as if a nuclear explosion had been set off inside the chamber as the elders exploded into a cacophony of swearing and curses.

"To go so far as to use a Jinchuuriki against us, that is an act of war," Homura growled as he banged his fist on the table.

"There is no way that this was not condoned by the Raikage, such a mission would never have been attempted without his tacit approval," Koharu spoke in a dark tone.

"As if Killer Bee was not enough, dear God," Jiraiya sighed softly as he remembered the eccentric jinchuuriki of the Hachibi. Killer Bee was someone who Jiraiya had no desire to tangle with, ever, apart from Salamander Hanzo.

"Whatever we do to tackle this can wait until Tsunade's inauguration as the Godaime tomorrow. We can discuss a proper response after tomorrow, by which time we can corroborate this information from other sources as well," Sarutobi spoke out as everybody else nodded.

"What about the boy? Will he be joining the shinobi forces of Konoha?" Danzo asked quietly, at which the two Sannin and the Sandaime began to fidget while everyone turned to look at Raiha.

"I have some personal obligations to fulfill before that eventuality, Danzo-san; therefore, I will not be joining the shinobi forces of Konoha until I take care of those personal commitments," Raiha spoke curtly at which the three elders jumped to their feet.

"WHAT???"

* * *

**P.S. 1.**Well, first of all, I know many of you will question about the change of attitude in Tsunade's behavior and mannerisms. To see a Tsunade who is actively involving herself in work may be in contrast somewhat to what has been portrayed in canon. This change of behavior will be explained in the following chapters, slowly, but I must mention that I will not make too much of a drastic change. She will still retain some of her vices, like drinking and gambling, only, they will be exercised with a lot of moderation.

**P.S. 2.**As for Koharu and Homura being so upset, you must remember that they too are the students of the Nidaime Hokage, so they feel angry at the fact that they were not informed of their teacher having a descendant. Quite an expected reaction by them, after all, as students of the 2nd, they feel some sort of kinship with their teacher and therefore, they do have some right to know what has happened to his family, and are therefore naturally upset at being excluded out of this. Besides as elders of the village they are privy to most secrets, but being excluded from something of this nature would naturally infuriate them and damage their egos regardless of their feelings on the matter.

**P.S. 3.**As for the Senju Hijutsu, Tsunade has trained Raiha in some of the techniques of the Senju clan, and he will be using them. Much more techniques are to come in the near future.

**P.S. 4.**Jiraiya's stating that he will surpass Sakumo in three years, is rather correct. Despite his tragic end, Hatake Sakumo is a man on par with the Sannin and Salamander Hanzo and other such luminaries, and Raiha will be reaching his level sooner than what Jiraiya has predicted.

**P.S. 5.** His personal commitments, as mentioned, will be responsible for his rise in power and abilities. From the next chapter on, a detailed explanation of his plans for the immediate future will be revealed, and in his next chapter, the summons he intends to gain will be revealed. Try to make a guess, if you can.

* * *


	5. Prologue: Conflict Arc: Episode 1

**_One Year Later_**

* * *

"Are you sure that it is feasible, Yugito-san?" Gashir, the high Jonin of Kumo asked Yugito who nodded emphatically.

"It is simple in concept, Gashir, all you have to do is get the package to the embassy, and once inside, you are practically as safe as you would be in Kumogakure. Not even Konoha ninja would dare to assault a diplomatic embassy building in public view. Once inside, use the reverse summoning seal arrays devised by Nakamura and transport the package to Kumo," she spoke softly while Gashir nodded.

"The new hokage…," Gashir began with a frown, when Yugito interrupted him.

"Will not do anything, in fact she cannot do anything at all, even if she wants to; that is the beauty of this operation, your cover will be your trump card, even if you kill somebody in public view in Konoha, you will still not be held accountable," Yugito pointed out as Gashir nodded slowly. Even though it was a bit of exaggeration on Yugito's part, the implication was clear. As long as he held to his cover, he was untouchable.

The concept was so simple, and yet so daring, he admitted softly. In the turbulent world of shinobi, diplomatic mission buildings were the only buildings that were considered inviolate. And to date, despite the numerous shinobi wars, no shinobi village had dared to assault an embassy belonging to a enemy nation; because, all nations knew the fact that wars did not last forever; and that there would be an after the war scenario, in which all of them would have to re-engage each other, and Ambassadors were the only people capable of achieving that. Ambassadors were probably the only politicians most insulated from assassinations, their rulers and masters were targeted, but not them, because they were more vital than any others were. Attacking an emissary was considered the ultimate taboo in the shinobi world.

In addition, if he conducted his mission under the cover of being an ambassador, then even if his op was blown, Konoha would still not dare to attack him, because the repercussions would be severe, Gashir thought smugly, as he nodded his acceptance to the mission, which Yugito had assigned to him.

_He was wrong, he was very wrong._

_

* * *

_

As the people and ninja of Konoha watched stupefied, Senju Raiha stood atop the roof of the burning embassy of Kaminari no Kuni holding Gashir by his throat. Then, as the horrified civilians and ninja alike watched, he calmly twisted and broke Gashir's neck and threw his corpse down the burning roof to the ground below.

A moment later, he vanished as a loud explosion occurred; raising a cloud of dust, ten meters high. As it cleared, Raiha could be seen walking out of the rubble that was once the embassy of Kaminari no Kuni, and in his arms was the unconscious figure of one Hinata Hyuuga, the four year old daughter of Hyuuga Hiashi, whom he handed over to a much relieved Yuuhi Kurenai, who hastened to hand over the unconscious child to her father, who was arguing with the council to request permission to assault the embassy of Kaminari no Kuni to reclaim his daughter; something that he wouldn't need to do anymore.

As he watched the jubilant cheers arising from the gathered crowd, Nakamura slowly made his way out, deep in thought. For the first time in his life, the man was flustered and rightly so. Disregarding all political ramifications, the Godaime Hokage's grandson had single handedly assaulted the embassy of Kaminari no Kuni to retrieve the kidnapped daughter of the Hyuuga clan head, whom the shinobi of Konoha had seen being taken into the embassy.

He cursed Gashir, for the man's incompetence, and the ninja of Konoha, who had kept the embassy in round the clock surveillance. If the idiot Gashir had had the sense to make his way out of Konoha, instead of going into the embassy gambling on the fact that Konoha would not assault an embassy, then everything would have gone properly.

_True, he had been told to use his diplomatic cover as a shield, but that was on the proviso that he maintained his cover intact. The idiot, panicking after realizing that the ninja of Konoha had discovered that he had kidnapped the girl, had run full tilt into the embassy. Dumbass, there was only so much '**Protection'** that diplomatic immunity could offer. Konoha knew they had the girl, and the embassy had been besieged on all sides, and eventually, even if they did manage to get the child back to Kumo, they would have been forced to return her, now that Konoha knew that Kumo had violated the integrity of the diplomatic mission. If he had brought the child in undetected, then Kumo would have gained the Byakugan by now._

Nevertheless, the idiot had ruined everything. In his panicked state, not only had he compromised his cover; he had also dealt a severe blow to Kumo's reputation. By an international treaty between all major shinobi nations, it was decreed that an embassy could not be used for staging shinobi operations. To date, none of the great five had violated that agreement. The success of Yugito's plan depended on the very fact that nobody expected them to use this avenue. However, due to the panicked reaction of one man, not only had the operation been compromised, but also their reputation was now tarnished forever.

What he had truly not expected was the action undertaken by the Hokage's grandson. As soon as the young man had learnt of the situation, he had simply blitzed into the embassy single handed, and had executed Gashir, a fully accredited and recognized ambassador, in full public view.

Something, which even a Kage, would hesitate twice before doing. He had then systematically executed every person inside the embassy, destroyed the building, and had retrieved the kidnapped girl. From what he had heard, the young man was an extremely shrewd and calculative person, one not prone to giving into impulsive actions like this, and that puzzled him greatly.

Nakamura realized without delay, that there existed at least one person who had the ability to make life very uncomfortable for Nii Yugito. Moreover, Yugito was not the kind to take to interference in her work in stride. Things were about to get very unpleasant, of that he was sure.

As immersed as he was in his thoughts, he did not notice Raiha's eyes on him, assessing and calculating his every move.

* * *

"Who the hell do they think they are? I report to the daimyo and even he is smart enough to not ask me how I do my job! Have you ever seen such a bunch of self-righteous ass covering pricks? They do not care about what we do. They care only about the publicity these things generate, and how the hell could _he_ be so careless? I fight tooth and nail with the Go-Ikenban and allow him to remain a civilian, and how does he repay me? By blowing up an embassy! Is he deranged? Moreover, where the hell is he? In the old days, if one of my ninjas were to act so carelessly, he would have the good sense to defect or become rogue! God, I miss the wars!" Tsunade raged as she walked back to her office, while Shizune hurried after her, cringing at the venom in her master's voice.

As she neared her office, everybody in the area became quiet sensing that the Godaime was in one of her infamous tempers, and wisely opted to remain silent.

Tsunade opened the doors of her office, and entered in, only to see her grandson sitting in front of her desk, gazing at the portraits of the previous Hokage's.

"You've got a bloody cheek," Tsunade spoke coldly as she eyed her grandson, who gazed at her indifferently, while Shizune began to chew her nails in anxiety.

"I will try to be more diligent the next time, if something like this happens again," he spoke nonchalantly while Tsunade snorted as she sank down into her chair.

"If not, you had better kill yourself," she retorted coldly as she stared down her grandson, who looked back at her with the same icy indifference.

"You stormed an embassy," Tsunade pointed out, "You broke the only absolutely inviolate rule in the area of international relations! Do you have any idea of the damage you have caused?" she snarled as she pounded her fist on the table.

"I did try to mitigate the damage," Raiha pointed calmly at which she snorted.

"You broke a man's neck in full public view and threw him off the roof of that embassy! I would hardly call that showing restraint, especially since that man you killed also happens to be the High Jonin of Kumogakure, who was here as the chief negotiator for the peace talks between our nations," she spoke curtly while Raiha's eyebrows rose a tiny bit.

"I find it hard to believe that you are the one who is lecturing me about restraint, considering who you are and what you did all those years ago…," Raiha began when Tsunade interrupted coldly, "Utter one more word, and grandson or not, I will have you killed," she finished as the young man nodded and stopped.

"Frankly speaking, you are over thinking about this matter, in reality, there is nothing they can do," Raiha continued while Tsunade raised her eyebrows.

"Really? Care to explain that, grandson mine?"

"First of all, their protests are flimsy at best. I proved it beyond doubt, when I stormed that building and rescued that young Hyuuga child, and an embassy is hardly the place to provide asylum to a fleeing criminal. By blatantly housing a known criminal who had kidnapped the heir of the Hyuuga clan, they stand to lose all credibility. An embassy and its personnel are granted diplomatic immunity from all sorts of prosecution from local laws, in order to create trust between two nations. While it is true, that they are granted immunity from most of the laws, that does not give them the right to blatantly violate our laws in such a flagrant manner, and then use their diplomatic immunity as a shield. By storming that embassy, I have saved that child from a terrible fate, and saving an innocent child's life and honor is more important than maintaining a shallow pretense of diplomacy with a treacherous nation. I have also proved that they do not adhere to the principles expected by nations in international relationships, and this incident will further dent their credibility worldwide."

"And furthermore, as far as accountability for this goes, let me remind you that I am a civilian, and not a ninja under your employ. That is a matter of public record, and it is indisputable. Therefore, if Kaminari no Kuni and Kumogakure intend to hold me accountable, they will find it particularly hard to do so. Especially since, Hi no Kuni and Kaminari no Kuni **do not** have an extradition treaty; and trying to assault me personally would be even more problematic for them, because then they would have assaulted the grandson of the hokage, and that is a guaranteed cause for war, a war which they certainly do not intend to fight as of now. Therefore, the only option left to them would be to file a legal complaint against me in the Daimyo's court, to have me prosecuted, and the last time I checked, the daimyo's court, _had a backlog of cases worth ten years_. You should have realized by now grandmother, that I do not attempt anything without calculating all possible outcomes, have a good day," Raiha concluded softly and left his grandmother's office, leaving her speechless.

* * *

Raiha had nailed it spot on. There were no miscalculations, _which was his greatest miscalculation_. In addition, as he had intended, everything was about to fall into the worst-case scenario because of his actions, _which was vital to his plan. _

Nii Yugito was about to have a very harsh dose of reality assault her.


	6. Diplomacy is a pile of Horseshit!

_Diplomacy_

* * *

"_To constitute political life in a state presupposes a good man, whereas to have to recourse to violence in order to make oneself a ruler in a republic presupposes a bad man. Hence very rarely will there be found a good man willing to use bad methods in order to make himself a ruler, though with a good end in view_."

_"Nor will any reasonable man blame him for taking any action, however extraordinary, which may be of service in the organizing of a kingdom or the constituting of a republic. It is a sound maxim that reprehensible actions may be justified by their effects, and that when that effect is good, it always justifies the action. For it is the man who uses violence to spoil things, not the one who uses it to mend them, that is blameworthy."_

_"A ruler should therefore disregard the reproach of being thought cruel where it enables him to keep his subjects united and loyal. For he who quells disorder by a very few signal examples will in the end be more merciful than he who from too great leniency permits things to take their course and so result in chaos and bloodshed; for these hurt the whole state, whereas the severities of the ruler injure individuals only."_

_"It is essential therefore, for a ruler who desires to maintain his position, to have learned how to be other than good, and to use or not use his goodness as necessity requires."_

_"Everyone sees what you seem to be, but few see you for what you are."_

As he noticed the emblazoned brass plaque that contained these words, which he had hung in his office, Danzo could not help but feel nostalgic. This was possibly one of the finer lessons that he had imbibed from the Nidaime Hokage, and it had been a lesson well learnt.

Tobirama Senju was known far and wide as a maverick, a man who ignored no one but did not listen to any one. For years, when his advisors offered advice on how to deal with situations, he listened to their advice and yet made decisions on his own, completely ignoring whatever advice had been offered to him. _Trust no one_, that had been his motto. Moreover, it seemed that his descendant was following in his exalted grandfather's footsteps quite well.

He had never quite trusted the diplomatic mission sent by Kumo, and he had been pleasantly surprised when Tsunade had ordered stringent surveillance on the diplomatic group. However, he had not expected them to take such a bold approach as to attempt to kidnap the heir of one of Konoha's premier bloodline clans.

In retrospect, it was a plan bordering on outright genius. If the kidnapper had managed to conduct his operation without being detected, then Konoha would never have been able to recover the child. Their only saving grace was in the fact that the kidnapper had been identified beyond possible doubt during mid-execution of his mission, and that was their only saving grace, otherwise the repercussions for the actions undertaken by the boy would have been quite severe.

However, when the kidnapper had brazenly taken shelter in the embassy of Kaminari no Kuni, even Danzo had come to the conclusion that attacking an embassy was too risky, even for an unsanctioned force like his. He had expected a siege situation, where the embassy would be surrounded by thousands of ninja, preventing the possibility of them escaping with the child, but that, he knew would never have been a foolproof guarantee.

* * *

_And then, he had arrived, the grandson of the hokage, and the great grandson of the Nidaime hokage, the last of the Senju, and like a whirlwind, brazenly breaking down barriers, he had stormed an embassy, and had summarily executed every living being that had existed in that edifice, and brought it down, and had retrieved the child._

_

* * *

_

And now, the world was baying for his blood. It would be interesting to see how Tsunade would handle this situation. He had received reports of the infamous conversation she had had with her grandson in the aftermath of the '_Butchering of Kumo_' as the event had been termed, and he had realized then and there, that this boy was what the village of Konoha now needed.

The Royal Council of Hi no Kuni was today hosting a very special summit. In attendance were the diplomatic delegates from all major and minor nations, here to protest the murder of diplomacy, as they claimed, and along with Koharu and Homura, Danzo had arrived with Tsunade to attend that summit.

In attendance were the diplomats from _Tsuchi no Kuni, Mizu no Kuni, Kaminari no Kuni,_ and _Kaze no Kuni_, along with the diplomats from other minor and major nations as well, in attendance with their bodyguards, who were most definitely disguised Shinobi. The security for this entire event was watertight, with the entire armed forces of Hi no Kuni, and ninja forces of Konoha on full alert and present in full force. Even Danzo was very interested in seeing how things were going to play out.

_What was ironic_, Danzo reflected idly, was the fact that Konoha and Hi no Kuni, despite being the true victims, were being portrayed as aggressors, while the true culprits were being portrayed as victims. This event did not actually concern any of the other nations in the slightest, but since it was an attack on a diplomatic embassy, a situation that no one currently present in the room had ever thought possible, they were all here to demand accountability from Hi no Kuni, and Konoha, in view of the damage done to international diplomacy as a whole, or so they had claimed, _which as far as Danzo was concerned, was a pile of horse-shit in his opinion._

They were here, because they were rattled. Konoha was known as the most peaceful of all the five hidden villages. Tree-huggers, that is what they were called. _How low the mighty had fallen_, Danzo mused idly as he looked at the smirks on the faces of the other diplomats, _to think that a village, which had produced ninja like Hashirama and Tobirama Senju, and Uchiha Madara and Namikaze Minato, was called weak was an unbearable affront._

No, they were here, because they wanted to re-evaluate the village and the new hokage, because as far as world opinion was concerned, this was an unprecedented event, and they wanted to confirm whether this was an accident, or whether Konoha actually possessed enough political will to conduct such an incident again.

* * *

The ambassador of Kaminari no Kuni, Lady Miyako, was a career pacifist, who hated violence of any sort. In a career that was dominated by males, she had risen to her current position through sheer tenacity and intelligence, although she grudgingly accepted the fact that she also happened to be the niece of the daimyo of Kaminari no Kuni had played a part in it.

She abhorred violence on principle, and as a result, she also abhorred women who practiced them, namely Kunoichi, and for that reason, the current Hokage, Tsunade, was on the very top of her _not-so-well-liked-people_ list. When she had learnt of the massacre of their embassy, she had been horrified; to learn that somebody had dared to attack harmless diplomats was something, which she had never thought possible. But then, they had received information, that their hidden village had tried to suborn the goodwill of international relations, and had flouted those rules to conduct their detestable missions.

She accepted the fact that Kumogakure, as much as she hated to do so, had violated the laws of international diplomacy, and was the guilty party. However, what she detested even more was the ruthlessness with which Konoha had reacted to this travesty. _Surely, there had been no need to massacre all those people, if Kumogakure had broken the covenant, then Konoha should have left it to Kaminari no Kuni to discipline their overzealous hidden village, instead of resorting to such brutal retaliation_, she told herself as she prepared to make her arguments_._

True, they had tried to kidnap a little child, for a bloodline, and although she found it detestable, she knew that she had no say in protesting against making such decisions. Hidden villages were granted autonomy on equal status with the countries they served, and they had the authority to conduct such missions. However, because of the overzealousness of Kumogakure, now Kaminari no Kuni had been embarrassed, and it had fallen upon her to regain her country's honor.

And she intended to succeed.

* * *

"This meeting has been called forth primarily by the representatives of Kaminari no Kuni, and as such, Lady Miyako now has the floor," Koharu spoke out curtly as all eyes turned towards the chief ambassador of Kaminari no Kuni.

"The events of the past week have been difficult ones for everybody involved," Miyako began, "And we mourn the loss of so many of our valued retainers. We accept the fact that the hidden village of Kaminari no Kuni was indeed at fault here, and assure everybody that we shall take steps to rectify that problem,. While we are gratified that the hostage in question was rescued, we cannot condone the methods that were used to end the crisis. The success of diplomacy and international relations depends upon the forbearance of the host nations in which the diplomatic missions are situated. We have requested the convening of this council for accomplishing two very important goals. First, to ensure that such violations of international relationships do not occur again, and second, to make certain that people responsible for these deplorable events are brought to justice."

Many of the diplomats of the other nations were carefully eyeing the reactions of the Hokage, to better judge how she would deal with it. This was an interesting situation, and they wanted to see how things played out.

"Just to be clear, Lady Miyako," Koharu began again, "When you talked about events that undermined the sanctity of international relationships, were you referring to the kidnapping attempt conducted by your hidden village against one of the premier clans of our hidden village?" she asked smoothly while everybody in the chamber sat up a bit straighter. The daimyo of Hi no Kuni had a rather amused look on his face, as he carefully observed the banter.

"No, Lady Koharu, that is very much a separate issue. I was referring to the uninvited attack by the grandson of the Hokage on our embassy," she pointed out stiffly as Koharu slowly nodded.

"Ah, I see, you are referring to the attack that ended the hostage crisis successfully," she said pleasantly, while the face of Miyako colored up. Danzo was watching the proceedings with a suppressed smile. If negotiations were an ocean, then Koharu was the Great white Shark in it. It was a pleasure to watch her negotiate and fluster her opponents with delicately placed phrases and inconvenient truths.

"The result is not the issue," Miyako countered firmly. "At the moment, I am deeply concerned with the means."

"I see," Koharu said quietly as she gazed at the woman softly, "And what would you like to do about it?"

"I wish for the Hokage's grandson to be taken into custody immediately, and handed over to us," Miyako spoke out while the temperature in the room dropped quite a bit. That was a bold demand to make.

"And what do you hope to accomplish with that move?" Koharu asked again.

"We need to formally ascertain whether laws were broken and boundaries were overstepped," Miyako replied.

"I see, and what about the overzealous actions committed by your shinobi village? One could almost construe that move as an act of war. And may I bring to your notice, that in recent weeks, preceding this unfortunate event; Konoha has been hit with a spate of raids, conducted by enemy shinobi, and again, most of them have been solely focused on the Hyuuga clan, in whom your hidden village is known to have an unhealthy interest. We also have actionable intelligence that all of these attacks were again conducted by your hidden village. Are we to consider this as a declaration of war?" Koharu asked quietly while Miyako stumbled with a look of surprise clearly etched on her face.

"I have no knowledge of this," she admitted truthfully, "However, if you were to share your intelligence with us, I will make sure that your concerns are addressed, and if it is indeed proven that our hidden village has exceeded its mandate, I assure you, we will bring them to justice," she spoke out while silence reigned in the room.

Danzo snorted, he had no doubt they would; the Raikage would produce a disposable ninja and lay the blame squarely on that unfortunate person's shoulders by terming it a rogue operation, and have them executed while absolving himself of all responsibility.

"Very well, leaving that matter aside," Koharu continued, "I am afraid that we cannot grant your request," she concluded while Miyako narrowed her eyes.

"Is it because the culprit is the grandson of the hokage?" Miyako asked quietly while everybody stilled.

"Oh most assuredly not," Koharu waved her hands to indicate as if it was a trivial matter, "As you know, the boy is a civilian, and not a ninja under the employ of Konohagakure no Sato, and therefore, he cannot be tried under laws that pertain to shinobi. And unfortunately, I must remind you that since Hi no Kuni and Kaminari no Kuni, **do not** possess an extradition treaty to hand over criminals to each other, I am afraid that we cannot hand him over to you. We really wish we could have helped you, but laws are laws and our hands are tied. You are welcome to file a complaint against him in the daimyo's court though," she concluded without any emotion on her face.

"You expect us to believe that the grandson of the Hokage is not a ninja? Do you take us for fools, Lady Koharu?" the representative of Kaze no Kuni interjected, with a look of incredulity on his face.

"You misunderstand me, gentlemen and ladies," Koharu spoke again, "I said he is not a ninja under the employ of Konohagakure no Sato, I never said that he was not a practitioner of the ninja arts at all. Even though he practices the shinobi arts, technically, he is still a civilian, a highly gifted civilian, but a civilian nonetheless," she concluded with a thin smile, while the other delegates looked extremely cross.

"So, you tell us that the only way that we can make this murderer, who butchered innocent civilians in his zeal to get to a kidnapper, account for his crimes, is to file a complaint against him in the daimyo's court. Is that it?" Miyako asked sharply.

"Indeed," Koharu replied demurely, "Although I am afraid that it may take some time," she added with just a bit of hesitation at the end.

"How long would that be?" the representative of Tsuchi no Kuni asked wanly, as if he had expected this response.

"Well, the last time we checked, it appears that the daimyo's court does have a backlog of cases, _just around ten years worth that is all_, but I assure you, he will be brought to justice," Koharu concluded while an angry hiss escaped from many of the present delegates.

"This is an outrage! You, you are trying to protect a murderer who murdered innocent people, this..." Miyako began shrilly, when Tsunade stood up, and at that, Miyako stopped her rant and stared at the woman while the room fell silent.

"Up yours, sweetheart," Tsunade spoke calmly, and in full view of the entire Royal Council and the assembled delegates, she gave the noblewoman from Kaminari no Kuni, the most well known salute in the world, _the finger_.

Pin-drop silence prevailed in the chambers, as everybody was too shocked to react to this outrageous response by the Hokage in contravention to all known diplomatic behavior.

"I will say this now," Tsunade began curtly, ignoring the extremely offended looks on the faces of all the assembled foreign delegates who were present, "My grandson is not a ninja of Konoha, and as such he cannot be held accountable for his actions under the guidelines that prescribe to shinobi personnel internationally. And personally, I believe that he has committed no crime, not when he acted unilaterally to save the life and honor of an innocent child," she concluded while Miyako's face reddened.

"That does not give him the right to kill innocent people! We would not have minded if he had killed the kidnapper, but your grandson mindlessly slaughtered innocent diplomats and workers, who were not associated with that crime in any way," the woman from Kumo snapped back.

"So you say, but at that time, how was he to be sure that who was innocent and who was not, for all we know, all of them could have been involved," Tsunade spoke casually while the eyes of everybody widened. Danzo was now paying more interest to Tsunade's words.

_I knew that she had changed, but I had no idea as to how much, this is a welcome surprise, these people have become too used to Sarutobi's pacifist tendencies, now they will learn that Konoha will no longer accept such aggressive behaviors._

_

* * *

_

"_So he decided to do a judge, jury, and executioner act on them? This is not a Jungle, Tsunade-hime, this is a civilized world, and there are rules which are expected to be followed by everyone, if they wish to exist in this society,"_ Miyako spoke angrily_._

"_If the acts of your people, such as the kidnapping a four year old child, as conducted by that so-called ambassador of your hidden village is the standard you set for civilized behavior, then I regard the actions undertaken by my grandson as the act of a gentleman,"_ Tsunade quipped back, and a very tense silence followed that statement.

"You go too far," Miyako snapped back as she glared at the hokage.

"Not nearly far enough," Tsunade retorted, at which Miyako's jaws fell open in shock, "You are very lucky in the fact that my grandson is not an official ninja of Konoha, because otherwise, your hidden village's actions would have elicited a response under our new doctrine," Tsunade concluded.

Instantly, Danzo, Koharu, and Homura, sat up straighter and looked at each other. Tsunade had told them nothing of that sort.

"New doctrine?" the representative of Tsuchi no Kuni asked in a careful tone while everybody else became silent. Even the daimyo of Hi no Kuni began to pay more attention.

"Indeed, perhaps your hidden villages have failed to gather intelligence on this matter," Tsunade spoke offhandedly, at which the eyes of many of the delegates narrowed.

"No matter, I shall inform you personally, so please listen carefully," Tsunade continued, oblivious to the furor she had caused, "As of now, the official doctrine and policy of Konoha is to meet unwarranted acts of violence with extremely brutal retaliation. In other words, if your military forces engage our people outside of authorized shinobi missions or wars, then their actions will be countered with extremely lethal retaliation, similar to the one executed by my grandson. We will make the cost of conducting such terrorist activities in Hi no Kuni and Konohagakure no Sato so horrific, that no one will dare to think of conducting such acts against us in the future."

"_If you kill one of us, we will kill ten of you. If you kill ten of us, we will kill a hundred of you. If you kill a hundred of us, then we will kill a thousand of you. If you kill a thousand of us, then we will raze you to the ground to the point where nothing will survive, not even fucking Bacteria._ That is as of now, the official policy of Konohagakure no Sato," Tsunade concluded grimly.

For the first time in decades, Danzo's jaws were wide open in shock. To think that he would hear such words from the granddaughter of Hashirama Senju, and the student of Hiruzen Sarutobi; Danzo had never expected this in his wildest dreams.

The reaction to the hokage's statement produced an extremely tense silence. Tsunade had just threatened the entire world, a feat that no one had dared to do before, and frankly speaking, they had never expected something like this to occur.

Finally, the representative of Mizu no Kuni spoke out, "Your grandson is not your grandfather, you would do well to remember that," he concluded in a gravelly tone as everybody glared at her.

"I believe I am a better judge of that, considering that unlike any of you, I have actually had the chance to know both of them, and am in a far better position to make that judgment apart from others," she quipped back while a ripple of unease spread through the present diplomats.

"You cannot take on the entire world, you know," the representative of Kaze no Kuni spoke out softly as he gazed at the Hokage.

"You forget sir, that we already have, and that we still came out on top," Tsunade replied quietly, at which most of the diplomats winced as they remembered the outcome of the 1st and 2nd shinobi wars, where Konoha had taken on all the other hidden villages, and emerged on top.

"Daimyo-sama," Miyako began again, "does the Hokage speak for you and Hi no Kuni?" she asked quietly as everybody turned quiet.

The daimyo who had observed everything silently, spoke for the first time, "No, Lady Miyako, she does not," at which a smile appeared on her face, but stopped quickly when the daimyo continued, "I speak for Hi no Kuni and Konohagakure no Sato, but in this instance, Hokage-dono's words mirror my own," the daimyo spoke softly at which the faces of the delegates clouded with worried frowns.

"And what of our request to have Senju Raiha handed over to us for judgment?"Miyako asked again.

"That will not happen, not when your hidden village has the arrogance to flout the conventions of international relations so blatantly and attempts such a heinous crime against an innocent child, and then dares to proclaim us the offenders. As of now, we consider the words of your hidden village and your realm worth less than the dirt that lies beneath our feet. And may I ask you to inform your uncle that if he intends to go to war with us over this incident, then inform him that we too can do the same, and that we are much better at warfare than his own forces are capable of ," the daimyo concluded softly and stood up indicating that the meeting was over.

As the assembled delegates walked out, they walked out with heavy hearts. They had not expected the meeting to go so off track at all. Too used to Sarutobi's pacifist tendencies, they had never expected the new hokage to take such a heavy hand in her replies. They realized without delay that Konoha would now no longer allow others to run roughshod over it, and it rankled sorely in their mind.

* * *

As the delegation from Kaminari no Kuni walked out, the attendant of Lady Miyako was surprised to see that a female attendant was beckoning her. Surprised, she stopped for a moment as the woman approached her.

"Miss Yugito, the Hokage would like to have a word with you," the woman spoke softly.

Yugito was taken aback. As far as she knew, nobody knew of her existence, and certainly not her true identity as the third in command of Kumogakure's shinobi forces. _How did Konoha know about her_? Everybody had thought that she was a lady-in-waiting for Lady Miyako, and not a Kunoichi. _How did Konoha see through her charade_?

"Please follow me," the woman asked again at which Yugito nodded absent-mindedly and began to follow the woman.

"Why does she want to speak with me?" she asked after a while, at which the attendant replied softly, "She wishes for you to deliver a message to the Raikage."

Yugito's eyes hardened as she considered the implications of that fact.

As she entered the chambers of the Hokage, she noted that the Hokage was seated in a chair behind an ornate desk while three other elders were seated in a corner of the room.

As the attendant came in followed by Yugito, Tsunade thanked her and then curtly dismissed her. After a cursory look by the Hokage, the three elders walked out as well, leaving the two of them alone inside the chamber.

"May I know why I have been called, Hokage-sama?" Yugito asked quietly as Tsunade gazed at the young woman softly.

"You are Nii Yugito, yes?" Tsunade asked quietly and Yugito nodded in agreement.

"I have a gift for you, _from my Grandson_," Tsunade spoke softly and indicated towards a small burlap sack that lay at the corner of the desk.

Intrigued, Yugito slowly walked towards the lumpy sack and opened it, and then immediately, she stepped back in revulsion. Inside the sack, was the severed head of her subordinate, Nakamura.

"What is the meaning of this?" Yugito asked Tsunade sharply as she began to analyze the scenario. If Nakamura had been captured, then that meant that Konoha was probably aware of her true identity.

"Don't overestimate yourself, girl," Tsunade spoke curtly as she glared at Yugito as if she was reading her thoughts, "We had him under surveillance since before you planned the raid on Hiashi Hyuuga," Tsunade concluded, at which Yugito's eyes widened. "If it helps you, know this, I took down Shigeo personally," Tsunade continued at which Yugito involuntarily took a step back. Dissimulation was something that Tsunade excelled in, and she realized that her mixture of truths and lies was sorely rankling the young girl in front of her, and smirking lightly, the hokage continued.

"We let him be, because there is a saying in Konoha, '_Hit him three times and even Buddha will get angry_'; this was the second and last warning that we will give, next time you pull something like this, even I will not be able to hold back my grandson, _Little Kitty_," Tsunade spoke with a cruel smirk, at which Yugito finally paled and began to sweat a little.

"_Oh please_," Tsunade smirked at seeing the discomfort etched on the girl's face, "Did you really think that I wouldn't realize what you are? Girl, my grandfather used to keep that little furball in your stomach as a pet in our family backyard along with its other companions, and I have seen them all, even together, and you thought that I wouldn't recognize that furball in your stomach? Hell, I used to kick it around in my childhood myself, along with my grandfather. You Kumo Nin truly do overestimate yourselves," Tsunade snorted while Yugito began to tremble in shock and outright humiliation.

As she turned to leave, Tsunade gave one final parting shot, "Tell that overgrown mastodon you call a Kage and his equally _bull headed_ brother, that next time your village pulls something like this, then the consequences will be very unpleasant for him and his village," she spoke curtly while Yugito nodded jerkily and hastily walked out, trembling and shaken to her core.

As she watched the girl leave, Tsunade let out a small smile. The girl truly was a tough and resourceful young woman, and given few more years she would be even more impressive, of that, Tsunade had no doubt. _She is like a shark in a pond of fishes_, Tsunade thought quietly as she analyzed the girl.

However, like Yugito, Tsunade too was a shark. But for all the bluster and bravado that the young woman had thrown forward, Tsunade had something that the young woman lacked.

_Forty years in the water_.

* * *

**P.S. 1.** As a response to the questions asked because of the previous chapter, I will say this only once. I have deliberately lowered the age of Hinata Hyuuga because it is essential for my story. The same with few other characters as well. For those of you who say that this does not match canon, please remember that this is fanfiction. If you want canon, then Masashi Kishimoto is handling that for us, and I have no intention of mimicking it. **Hell, if my plot requires it, I will have Orochimaru wear a Tutu and do Ballet**!


	7. Spies, Councils, and Fights!

As she watched the young woman leave, Tsunade heaved a silent sigh of relief. With any luck, once he heard of that confrontation, Ē would back off from making any more provocations. The man was extremely hard headed, and his stubborn attitude was a minor legend in the shinobi community. Truthfully speaking, Tsunade had not really relished taking such a hard stance, but even she had realized belatedly what the other elders had.

In his zealous efforts to keep Konoha safe after the devastation caused by the Kyuubi, Sarutobi had unintentionally weakened Konoha's standing on the international scene. In addition, now it was up to her to make sure that the situation did not deteriorate any further. She was sure that she would a face a lot of dissension from the council for taking such a drastic step.

She frowned. That was another thing which she intended to change soon within the village. The council was beginning to overstep its authorities again, as they had with Sarutobi, after he had assumed control after the Kyuubi's attack. She would have to show them exactly who was in charge again. Her grin turned feral as she imagined that delicious prospect.

* * *

"Well, that went well," a voice muttered quietly, and she turned around to see Jiraiya lounging around on a chair at the opposite end of the room.

"That was all right, you know, at the conference, I mean," Jiraiya continued as he had that same infuriating smirk on his face, "You did all right, hime. You showed the world that you had balls, and for once, I don't mean those two hanging on your chest," he grinned wanly, while Tsunade just sighed. Although, in any other situation, that phrase would have seemed extremely crass and corny, for the moment she understood what her teammate was saying.

"Heh, you sure put a burr under everybody's saddle. Hell, I think you almost gave Danzo a hard-on," he chuckled as he continued in the same tone, "One thing is for sure, they will now think twice before trying to poke their nose in our affairs again," Jiraiya concluded softly, as his gaze turned serious.

"All, except Kumogakure, and even you know it. Ē will have to do something drastic after this. He cannot afford not to, with what I have done here, he will face enormous loss of face at home, and he will have to do something drastic, if only to save his face and reputation," Tsunade replied softly.

"So ... ... that is why you went so hard on that girl, huh," Jiraiya nodded, as if something had made sense, "I guess so, but you know, with your declaration here, the other villages will probably make at least one aggressive probe towards us, just to check whether you were bluffing or not. And now, we will have to retaliate brutally against the next blow that will happen, which I can bet my ass is going to happen soon," Jiraiya warned her as he looked at her.

"I am not worried about them, Jiraiya, I am more worried about what will happen at home," Tsunade retorted calmly.

"Well, for the first time, I think even Danzo and the elders will be on your side, but Sarutobi-sensei is gonna kick your hide six ways to Sunday after what you have done here, not to mention the clan heads. Yep, the council is going to bitch about this royally," Jiraiya too agreed as he smirked.

"Then I will just have to show them why they are the council and I am the Hokage, but, _even I am worried about sensei's reaction_," Tsunade admitted softly.

"Yeah, well, we will deal with it when it happens," Jiraiya spoke out softly.

"Coming back to that, what happened with the task I gave you?" Tsunade asked as she glared at him.

For her question, she was rewarded, with a slip of paper that he slid over the desk.

* * *

"It is Akio's writing, I just received it when you were talking to that girl," that was all he said.

"Who then is this _Akio_?" Tsunade asked.

"_Akio_, Tsunade, is a nom-de-plume, a mere identification mark; a name with which my informant has chosen to identify himself, whenever he has sent me extremely sensitive information. He is important, not for himself, but for the great people with whom he is in touch with, if he actually is, for I have no means of verifying it. He is like the jackal with the lion – anything that is insignificant in companionship with anything that is formidable; not only formidable, but also sinister – in the highest degree sinister. That is where his services become invaluable. For instance, he was the one who gave us the meager evidence that we have, against Danzo, and that's just an example of one of his major successes."

"That damn old criminal," Tsunade muttered with distaste as she wrinkled her nose, as the name of the former commander of Root was mentioned.

"You give the man too little credit, hime! I don't think you understand the scope and reach of that man, and neither did I, until Akio provided me with some of the information that he had gathered. By calling Danzo a criminal, you are uttering libel in the eyes of the world – and there lies the wonder of it. The greatest schemer to have ever been born, the controller of the underworld, a brain that might have made or marred the destiny of many nations – that is the true extent of his capabilities. However, he is so aloof from general suspicion, so immune from criticism, so admirable in managing his public persona, that he could probably drag you, the Hokage, to court, win in a case of defamation, and take compensation from you! A Hokage who uses her authority to bully a crippled old man, that is how it would have played out, if that were to happen! I have to admit, until I learned of the true extent of his activities from Akio, even I had underestimated the man; his involvement in clandestine affairs goes far beyond what we might have expected."

"Sarutobi-sensei should have disposed of him long ago," Tsunade growled in reply as she heard Jiraiya state his point.

"But why then, did he not? Think on it, and you will notice the shroud that Danzo has woven around himself to ensure his safety. Tell me, have you ever entered his office in the Hokage tower?"

"Yes. Once or twice, when I have had the misfortune of doing so."

"Rather Spartan, isn't it, in its appearance?"

"I suppose," Tsunade nodded gingerly.

"Tell me, did you by any chance notice a small painting hanging behind his chair, on the wall?"

"Yes, but I didn't give it much notice."

"Maybe, you should have. That painting, Tsunade-hime, is a painting by Kondo Kurosaki, and it is worth more than 8 million Ryo. Kondo Kurosaki is one of the most famous painters this world has ever seen, but that is not the point here. Haven't you yet wondered how a retired shinobi who was just a commander of a defunct ANBU division managed to acquire such a priceless piece of art? In addition, may I remind you, according to the records that Konoha has, his personal assets don't exceed the value of 6 million, and he receives an annual pension of only four hundred thousand. By all accounts, he should have become a pauper when he bought that painting, and yet -" Jiraiya stopped as finally a flicker of interest came upon Tsunade's face.

"How indeed?" Tsunade muttered thoughtfully as she too gazed at the tiny piece of parchment in front of her.

"That's what amazed even me," Jiraiya admitted softly. "However, you have now seen the point of the picture. It shows him to be a very wealthy man. How did he acquire the said wealth? He is unmarried, he has no rich relatives, and his personal familial inheritance is non-existent. And yet he owns a painting worth 8 million."

"Well?"

"Oh, come on Tsunade, even you must get the inference," Jiraiya complained as he looked at the Hokage.

"He has an unknown source of income and we don't know what it is," Tsunade concluded softly as she gazed at the tiny note, her respect for this unknown Akio raising a notch.

"Exactly, once I got the information from Akio, I set my own information network on the trail, and do you know what we have found?"

"Something of monumental importance, no doubt," Tsunade spoke up as she looked at Jiraiya expectantly.

"Nothing."

The answer rocked the Hokage right back to her heels.

"That's…," she began in a hushed tone, at which Jiraiya nodded, "intriguing, isn't it?"

"So, we have the ends of both sides, namely, we know that he has a clandestine source of income, which in its scope is enormous, and we know he controls it. But what we don't know is, what is it?" Tsunade asked quietly.

"You don't see the picture, hime; the man has hidden himself so effectively, that you underestimate him even now. I mentioned the painting just to gain your attention. I have no doubt that he has dozens of similar sources of income, each carefully hidden in a dozen different nations, no doubt," Jiraiya concluded.

"And this Akio fellow found it all out?" Tsunade asked in an incredulous tone.

"Not exactly. He knew of them of course, but he told me that if I wanted to find out more, I would have to do it on my own; he just nudged me in the proper direction that is all. I have no doubt that he knew all of this, even before he informed me," Jiraiya explained in a serious tone.

"So, what has he sent you this time?" Tsunade asked as she gazed at the illegible writing, illegible to her at least.

"Well, you see, what we have is a curious partnership. He sends me information, and in return, I send him information; and this time, he has sent me quite a juicy tidbit. Heh, looks I will have to pay his price after all," Jiraiya chuckled.

"Just what kind of information? And more importantly, who is this Akio, and why haven't I heard of him before?" Tsunade asked as she looked at Jiraiya with an inquisitive look in her eyes.

* * *

"_I don't know who he is_," Jiraiya replied glibly, at which Tsunade stood up in shock.

* * *

"Are you kidding me?" she snarled as she gazed at her teammate.

"Calm down, Tsunade," Jiraiya replied in a soothing tone, while she glared at him, "Jiraiya, how can you be so stupid? He could be an enemy of the village! He could be someone who could use your information to…," Tsunade began when Jiraiya raised his hands, and she stopped her tirade.

"Believe me, I have tried to find out who he is myself, but even I cannot find out. He contacted me four years ago, and offered the first bit of information as an opening deal between us. I would give him the information he needed, and in return, he would give me the information I needed. No personal contact between us at all, and that was his only condition. He also assured me that he had no desire in gaining any information on Konoha from me, and let's face it; if he can uncover all this information on Danzo, which I myself could not, then what is to say that he couldn't gain that information himself?" Jiraiya asked reasonably, while Tsunade considered that.

"Well, this is a surprise," Jiraiya muttered as he looked at the parchment.

"Tell me, hime, have you received any proposals for a marriage between Raiha and a member of the Yamanaka clan, or the Aburame, or even the Kurama clan?"

"Why, yes," Tsunade replied in a startled tone, "not just them though, even Tsume Inuzuka has offered her daughter's hand in marriage, as have at least another twelve prominent families. It seems that the Go-Ikenban is desperate to ensure that Raiha marries at the earliest, so that the Senju clan may be further revived. I however told them, that the ultimate decision lies with him, and that I will not force him," she concluded quietly.

"And you are lucky that you did so," Jiraiya replied softly.

"What do you mean?" Tsunade asked quietly.

"_It means Tsunade-hime, that Danzo has already made a move to ensnare Raiha in his web_," Jiraiya replied grimly.

* * *

"What?" Tsunade exclaimed in shock as she gazed at Jiraiya with widening eyes.

"You don't know this, but when Sarutobi-sensei nominated your name for the position of the Godaime, Danzo protested it, saying that you were unreliable because you had abandoned Konoha, and not looked back once. At that, Sarutobi-sensei replied that you had an extremely important reason to do so, and he further stated that it was so important; that it could not be revealed even to the Go-Ikenban. And boy, did Danzo flip at that! However, after that, sensei conferred with the daimyo in private, and immediately after that, the daimyo nodded his assent to your appointment, flatly overriding all protests," Jiraiya explained quietly.

"So sensei…," Tsunade began as she realized what had happened.

"Yeah, he had to reveal to the daimyo, that you were raising the great-grandson of the Nidaime Hokage, who was the sole heir of the Senju clan, and against that, Danzo's protests were thrown out like waste paper. It seems that he had it planned out completely."

"_That old monkey_! When I get my hands on him…," Tsunade stood up raging madly, but after a while, she sat down with a huff, with a wry smile on her face as she composed herself.

"Yeah, he still hasn't lost his touch," Jiraiya chuckled as he looked at the princess.

"So, what has this Akio sent to you this time?" Tsunade asked quietly.

"It was he who informed me that Danzo was still maintaining and running 'Root' as his own private militia, and that they had infiltrated almost all quarters of Konoha's government. Therefore, I asked him to find out who were his main supporters, and he has delivered. It appears that the Yamanaka, Aburame and the Kurama clans are allied with him, and the majority of his militia is made up of their members," Jiraiya concluded as he gazed at Tsunade, who looked shocked beyond comprehension.

"But…I know Inoichi and Shibi…they…," Tsunade spluttered incoherently as she gazed at Jiraiya in shock.

"I don't know about Shibi, but I will bet that Inoichi is as unaware of this as we were. He may be the clan head, but that does not mean that his clan members cannot go behind his back. I will bet that most of the Yamanaka clan members who are with 'Root', have maintained their true allegiance with that division in utmost secrecy; and the Aburame, well, their mentality almost matches Danzo's, so I would not be too surprised if they were allied with him. Moreover, the Kurama, well, with what happened with the clan head's family, the clan has lost most of its prestige in the village, and unlike the other clans, they are not that well known, so I guess that they must have allied with Danzo in desperation to revive their lost status," Jiraiya concluded softly.

"But what does this have to do with Raiha?" Tsunade asked in agitation as she glared at the piece of parchment.

"Don't you see it, hime? Raiha's arrival in the village threw all of Danzo's schemes into total anarchy. He is the great-grandson of the Nidaime Hokage, and by that account the great-grandnephew of the Shodai, not to mention being your adoptive grandson, of you, who is one of the Sannin and the current hokage, and to top it all, he is now the last male Senju. By all accounts, a most enticing target for anybody looking to increase his or her political prestige in the village. By my information, he has already replaced even Uchiha Itachi as the most eligible bachelor in the village. Moreover, apart from all that, his capabilities are well known as well. Therefore, it was of the utmost importance to Danzo to ingratiate himself with the boy, _but, you, were in his way_," Jiraiya explained softly.

"Me?" Tsunade asked incredulously as she took in the information.

"Yes, you," Jiraiya replied authoritatively, "You raised him in secret, and moreover, you did not allow his existence to become public to the village, and that was a slap on the face to the Go-Ikenban. If he had been raised in the village, they would have found a way to get the boy under their influence, but that was not possible. In addition, when you returned, you granted him his wish, and did not allow him to be a shinobi, placing him further beyond their reach. They are getting desperate, Tsunade; for them, the boy's heritage and the influence that comes with it is too great a chance to pass up. They will do anything to get the boy to endorse their ideology and viewpoints. And since you have forbidden any form of official contact with him, the only way they can get close to him is through someone who is close enough to him. And the only ones close to him are Sarutobi-sensei, you, Shizune, and me. And that will not work. So, they want someone else close to him. Someone who they believe can subtly influence even him, and thus, indirectly, gain a chance to influence even you. _And who can be closer to a man, than his wife_?"

"**SON OF A BITCH!**" Tsunade swore as the implications of what Jiraiya was explaining sunk in to her mind.

"Ingenious, isn't it?" Jiraiya chuckled quietly, "Only a convoluted mind like Danzo's could come up with a scheme like this. The proposals from those three clans, specifically those three girls, you must avoid at all costs. I have no doubts that they are agents of 'Root'," Jiraiya spoke quietly while Tsunade's face began coloring up.

"_I AM GOING TO RIP THEIR FREAKING HEADS OFF!_" she roared as she smashed the desk into pieces and began to move ahead to deal with them immediately.

Jiraiya instantly pulled her back, "Calm down," he roared as the woman began to struggle to get out of his grip, "Have you forgotten what Raiha is like? _Hell, they would have a better chance of influencing a stone than him!_ That is why I said that you had done a good thing, by declaring that you would leave the choice to him; and those girls can never make him interested in them, no matter what they try, so he is safe for the moment," Jiraiya concluded as Tsunade ceased her struggles.

Her eyes took on a hardened glint. The next time when the council would gather, they would be in for a very rude shock.

"But sooner or later, their patience will run out, and then we will have a problem on our hands," Jiraiya admitted quietly after a moment as he too gazed at Tsunade.

"So, what do you suggest then?" she asked snidely as she gazed at him.

"Get him hitched," Jiraiya replied bluntly, while Tsunade's eyes widened, "Get him hitched before the pressure on him by the council becomes too much, that will cripple all their plans," Jiraiya spoke quietly while Tsunade's eyes narrowed.

"You have got to be joking! Where in the hell will I find a girl who can match his temperament? You can't be serious," Tsunade replied haltingly as she gazed at Jiraiya.

"Where is he anyway?" Jiraiya asked at which, she frowned, "He said he had some personal business to take care of."

* * *

"_Well, apart from that there is another way we can appease the council_," Jiraiya began as he looked at her slyly.

"What is it?" Tsunade asked, her eyes twitching.

"Well, the council is desperate for the Senju clan's revival, right, and this, is an alternative if you don't want Raiha to be bothered," he began quietly at which Tsunade narrowed her eyes.

"Go on…," she spoke softly, as a suspicion began to form in her mind.

"Well, you are a Senju as well, and if Raiha can't get hitched, then maybe you could get hitched instead, with me, and I assure you, I am more than manly enough to ensure the revival of your clan," Jiraiya replied with a lecherous grin on his face.

With a sigh, Tsunade palmed her face, as her suspicion was proven true.

The next moment, Jiraiya was punched through the door of her office and he went sailing through the air as he crashed down in a broken heap as he collided with the wall opposite to the room; while she left, and although she was furious, a small smile was still present on her face.

* * *

**_Meanwhile, in Amegakure,_**

* * *

Amegakure no Sato, was a minor shinobi village, which had had the misfortune of being located between three of the great five nations. And despite being a small village in a backward nation, contradictorily for it, it was a highly industrialized village. It had been the hotbed of numerous wars, which had been fought on its ground, some by itself, which it had declared on others, and at other times, other nations had fought their wars on this ground as well. Overall, Amegakure was known as the most violent place in the shinobi nations.

In addition, it was a rather loosely knit village, with many of its shinobi being missing-nin or criminals. Lacking the power to have a Kage status, it however had a leader, who while not being a Kage, was a ninja whom even the other Kage's did not dare to offend. His name was Hanzo, and he was known all over as Salamander Hanzo, the man who had single handedly defeated the three Sannin and bestowed upon them, their title.

However, today, Hanzo was in no mood to ponder upon all these facts, for he was busy in trying to find out why his village had been invaded by this person, who by all accounts, should not have been here in the first place.

* * *

"Senju Raiha, news of your exploits has reached even these aged ears," Hanzo spoke out in a guttural tone as he gazed at the young man who stood in front of him. The young man neither acknowledged him, nor did he deign to reply. He seemed to be scouting out the location.

"I have declared that my nation is in lock-down, and that shinobi from other nation are not to be allowed in, and yet, you have brazenly broken that decree, and invaded my home. Give me one reason as to why I shouldn't slay you where you stand," the man asked quietly as he gazed at the youngster.

"I am not a ninja, I am a civilian," the boy replied finally, as he gazed at the man who was standing on his summon, the King of Salamanders, looking down upon him.

"Ah yes, I had heard something of this sort, 'The Civilian Ninja', or something of that sort, isn't that what you are known as nowadays? Be gone, boy, I have no desire to bandy words about with Hiruzen's toys, or you will face my wrath. And this time, I will show you no mercy, as I once did, with your grandmother," the man growled as he looked at the boy.

"I must however, decline. You see, I am here, to reclaim vengeance on my clan's part, for the treachery you dealt it with. Today, you will perish, and I will see to it," Raiha replied softly, as he gazed at the legendary shinobi.

"You think you can beat me, me, who defeated even your grandmother, when she was with her team, a team that was said to be unbeatable in the entire world? Do not forget boy, not only have I beaten your grandmother, but I was even responsible for…," Hanzo snarled when Raiha interrupted him coldly.

"Treacherously killing my great-grandfather, the Nidaime Hokage, after you betrayed him, yes, I do know about it," the boy spoke out coldly, while Hanzo glared at him as he was stopped mid-tirade, before he could claim responsibility for having defeated the Nidaime Hokage.

"Your penchant for betraying your allies surpasses even your fame, Hanzo of the Salamanders. It is well known, that you formed an alliance with Senju Tobirama and Konoha, and that you then betrayed him, by attacking him when he was with just a few of his guards, with an overwhelming force. And I also know, that you are still forced to wear that breathing apparatus to survive, because of the crushing damage that he dealt to your lungs, before you treacherously killed him," Raiha spoke out quietly while Hanzo glared at the boy, cursing him for daring to look at him with such insolence.

Instantly, he formed some hand seals and a javelin made of ice hurtled towards the young Senju. However, just as the javelin reached him, the boy unsheathed his sword, and in a brilliant streak of yellow light, slashed it into a dozen pieces.

"The RAIJIN!" Hanzo exclaimed in shock as he warily eyed the blade in the boy's hands. He had not forgotten the damage that blade had inflicted on him all those years ago.

"So, reclaimed your family's weapon, have you?" Hanzo muttered gutturally as he gazed at the blade wearily. He seemed surprised at the blade's size though. Instead of the broadsword, which it usually looked like when wielded by Rokusho Aoi, it seemed more like an ordinary sword, only thing was; its blade was composed entirely of lightning.

"Yes, from that fool, called Aoi, I believe," Raiha replied softly, "I suppose you are wondering why it looks so different. Well, this blade was designed so that it could be controlled by the user's chakra. The more uncontrolled and unrefined it is, the more heavier and ungainly it becomes, and its size makes it too unwieldy. However, in the hands of a Senju, who is its rightful wielder, its true power is released," he finished quietly while Hanzo glared at him with an inscrutable look.

"Be as it may, its power is still no match for the power of my pet," Hanzo stated as he gazed at the boy.

"Yes, I agree, and since you have your own summon, let me grace you with my own. This is not a summoning in the actual sense, technically, but, their power surpasses that of any known summon in the entire shinobi world," Raiha replied softly, as he rapidly began to make some hand seals, and plunged his hands into the ground.

"Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei!"

As a startled Salamander Hanzo watched with surprised eyes, two coffins, bearing the tags of 'one' and 'two' rose from the ground. And when they opened, for the first time in fifty years, even Salamander Hanzo took a step back in fear, because standing in front of him, were the only two people whom even he had feared in his youth.

_The Senju brothers._

_Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama._

* * *

**Authors note:**

Just one thing, which I would like to clear up before hand. I am certain that a lot of you will complain that the council does not have that kind of power or authority, as you have done in the many complaints I have received till now, but I say it does. While not in the canon series, it does in my story. Let me at least tell you this, as a history major, I have studied such features. A feudal dictatorship, for that is the closest a village like Konoha can be called as, is definitely a lot like this.

In such places, nobility and such councils hold enormous sway in the decision making processes, and even though, nominally the strongest feudal chief is accepted as the leader, because of his strength, a parallel to the Hokage as you can see clearly; even he cannot afford to continuously anatagonize his fellow feudal chiefs even if they are not as strong as him.

I don't see why I can't use such real world realism in my story, and frankly speaking I don't see why you should complain either.

Oh, and for his using Edo Tensei, remember that he is originally Orochimaru's experiment, and therefore he has knowledge of many of Orochimaru's methods and techniques, so it is not unreasonable for him to use it.


	8. Adverse Reactions

The wind blows hot across the broken land. The soft sigh of its passage is the only sound in a landscape that but a heartbeat past rang loud with the terrible music of war. However, the war is over now. The battle is ended.

The ancient shinobi, once renowned as an icon for the entire shinobi world, now lays helpless on the floor, his back against the wall, after suffering injuries too many to count, and can do naught but stare helplessly at the youngster who has done this to him.

"Who… are you … to be able to do this … to me of all people?" Hanzo of Amegakure wheezed out, even as he coughed out a fair amount of blood as he looked at the youngster standing in front of him, with the Raijin no Ken alight in his hands, flanked by the immortal corpses of his ancestors, awaiting the boy's commands.

"I do not see why this is relevant, Hanzo-san," Raiha replied matter-of-factly, as he gazed at the wizened shinobi, "You were an enemy, and I have done what anybody would do, to defeat their enemies, it is to be expected after all in battle," the boy concluded, while the old man snorted.

"You … are not Senju, boy, I know the Senju well, and no Senju worth his blood would have dared to do what you have done here today, this emotionless slaughter, this precise and calculated massacre, not even in the era of the warring clans have I seen such a methodical destruction. Even the infamous drones created by Danzo of Konoha, possess a shred of conscience despite his claims to the contrary, which is lacking in you; so ... why are you doing this?" Hanzo spoke out, even as Raiha remained unfazed.

"I see…," Raiha paused, as he looked at the old man, "So, you seek a reason for why I have destroyed everything you hold dear. But, reason, exists for those who cannot go on living without clinging on to them. Vanish… Hanzo, with your death … the destruction of everything that is immoral in the shinobi world begins, and someone like you, could never understand my reasoning, for it is beyond the edge of reason..," with that, the Raijin no Ken flashed one last time as a spray of blood flew into the air, and with it, the life of Salamander Hanzo.

The teenager turned to look around at the immobile forms of Hashirama & Tobirama, who were looking at him with an inscrutable look on their faces.

"You disapprove of my actions … yes?" he asked, even as the two ancient shinobi remained impassive.

"Your actions … are not ours to judge, boy …," Hashirama spoke out softly, while Tobirama just glared at him, "What you are doing … has the potential to destabilize this entire world … but not doing so … poses an even greater danger … so I will withhold judgment for now … remember, there will be consequences for using this technique, but somehow, I think that for you … it will not matter," the second Hokage sighed, as he looked at his descendant, before the teenager nodded.

"Hanzo's remaining supporters have been routed," he said, even as he witnessed the commotion occurring near the base of Hanzo's tower. "Most are abandoning the Hidden Rain, but those who hold onto the will to resist us, some dozens in total, appear to be reorganizing near their leader's residence to make their last stand. Eliminate them, leave not a shred of Hanzo's tyrannical legacy behind …," he ordered, even as the two Kage's leapt below to obey his commands.

Even as these events were occurring, he did not notice a pair of eyes watching his every move, assessing him, evaluating him, and burning his image into their minds.

"What do we do … Pein?" Konan asked quietly, as she looked at the Deva Path, which was observing the events with a critical eye.

"Nothing … we do nothing."

* * *

_**The Palace of the daimyo of Kaminari no Kuni, around the same time,**_

* * *

Lord Toranaga, the chamberlain of the daimyo of Kaminari no Kuni, took one look at his ruler's face, and knew that blood would be shed soon in the days to come.

"My lord," the chamberlain said, bowing deeply.

Mori Masanari, the daimyo of Kaminari no Kuni, made an imperial nod of acknowledgment in return.

"Lord Toranaga, my honored niece has brought to my attention that the grand council of daimyo's and all the hidden villages have held our hidden village, Kumogakure no Sato, to be responsible for creating the situation, which led to the destruction of our embassy in Hi no Kuni, and the subsequent deaths of our loyal citizens, who were blameless in this juncture," the daimyo paused, even as he futilely tried to bring his rage under control.

"We are not pleased, nor are we pleased with the fact that the Raikage has allowed his shinobi to create a situation which has nearly led our country to war. My niece informs me, that lord Shimazu, the ruler of Hi no Kuni, is most irate and suspects treachery most foul on our part. To that effect, it appears that he has issued orders to his own shinobi to deal with any of our shinobi with no quarter. Therefore, I think the time has come for us to assert to our shinobi forces, as to why our word must be obeyed, and make them aware of the consequences of disobedience."

The chamberlain seemed to consider his ruler's bold suggestion cautiously. It was one thing to have a give-and-take relationship with the shinobi where they each played their part. However, it was another thing entirely to threaten their subordinates outright; but still, he knew that his lord would not budge. It was now a matter of prestige for the ruler, and he would not budge even if his life depended on it.

"Summon Darui, and also, summon the _Kingin Kyodai,_" the daimyo ordered, at which, the chamberlain finally looked up at his ruler in shock.

"My lord, surely you do not mean to …," the chamberlain half arose to protest, while his ruler raised his hand and stopped him mid-tirade.

"I think it is about time, that the Raikage learns that there are limits to what I will indulge from him and his shinobi," the daimyo spoke forcefully as he glared at the chamberlain, who bowed stiffly even as he felt his brow dampen with sweat.

As the chamberlain slowly turned around to depart, he heard his ruler command him, "Lord Toranaga, also please send a message to the Raikage, and ask him to select a replacement to serve as the new vessel of the two-tailed cat; since it is because of the actions of the current vessel, that our honor and our nation's honor has been stained, let him know that nothing less than her execution will expiate that stain upon our honor. Our station and our dignity as the daimyo demands it, and we will accept nothing less, and inform the _Kingin Kyodai _that this is our will."

"Hai, Daimyo-sama."

* * *

_**Meanwhile, at Konohagakure no Sato, **_

* * *

The Hokage on the other hand, faced a problem that was far more different in nature. As the rumors of her extra-ordinary performance at the grand council meeting had spread, the rumor-mills inside the village were churning non-stop. Nonetheless, the ninja of Konohagakure unanimously agreed that the Hokage's bold decision to address the world from a position of force had been a savvy maneuver. The other shinobi villages had no doubt expected the ninja of Konohagakure to be their usual reticent selves in the face of adversity. Not this time, Senju Tsunade had proven herself a commanding foe.

Many of the ninja felt comforted to know that the Hokage was taking control. The Hokage was the one person inside the village for whom both the civilians and ninja held the most respect. Some ninja thought of the Hokage as a zealot – whose love for the village bordered on obsession – but even they agreed … when it came to fighting the enemies of the village … the hokage was the one who would stand up and play hardball.

Most of the shinobi had actually relished the change that Tsunade's rule had brought to the village. The complacency of sorts that had been present during Sarutobi's reign had all but vanished, as Tsunade had brought many radical changes to improve the efficiency of the village's functioning, and they relished it.

However, some of the council heads were not too pleased, as they believed that the Hokage was moving ahead too fast, and was becoming too reckless. Then came the kicker, and as the details of the meeting were made public, many members of the council decided that it was finally time to reign the Hokage in, before she endangered them all, with her reckless actions.

The poor fools had no idea that Tsunade intended to return their favor in spades.

* * *

As she entered the council chambers, flanked by Jiraiya and Shizune, Tsunade knew that this would possibly be the stormiest council meeting in the history of this village.

The council of Konoha was divided into two parts, the Shinobi and the Civilian. The shinobi council comprised of all the clan heads, and the leaders of the major shinobi organizations of the village, including the ANBU, T&I, the Medic Corps, and so forth, and they generally advised the Hokage on matters pertaining to the running of the village's military forces. Similarly, the Civilian council had sway over all non-military related issues, like Economy, Trade, Agriculture, and local administration. By law, the civilian council was not allowed to intercede in the military council, but in recent times, it had encroached upon this forbidden plateau quite brazenly, and now, she intended to rectify it.

After the death of the fourth hokage, the third hokage had been forced to hand over the general administration of the village to this council, as the military council was up to its neck in its efforts to maintain the safety of their village. By the time the Sandaime and the military council had managed to ensure Konoha's safety from foreign threats, the Civilian council had firmly entrenched itself into the military infrastructure of the village, and the Hokage had found it difficult to dislodge them from this position lest he risk a civil war.

As she entered the council, Tsunade noticed that many of the shinobi were giving her glowing looks, while the civilians were looking at her with a myriad of emotions, ranging from fear to loathing.

"Tsunade-sama," Shikaku Nara, the Jonin commander of Konoha continued with a grim smile, "welcome back to Konoha. You have been missed." Shikaku paused to allow the council members to greet her and then made his request. "Please, along come with us. The Elder Council has assembled. There is much to be discussed."

"Fine," the woman muttered, crossing her arms. "Let's get this over with."

The various mutterings inside Konoha's council chamber went silent when Tsunade entered the room, with the Third and the two advisors Homura and Koharu at her back, followed by Shimura Danzo & Jiraiya.

"Now, since that irritating grand council meeting is over,'" the Slug Princess replied as she strode across the chamber to assume the Hokage's place at the head position. "Let's get right down to business," she continued, sitting down. "I want to hear a complete report on the border situation. I've been brought up to speed a little, but I want details. I especially want to know if any of the other villages have moved any of their forces near our village, and I want a complete analysis of the intelligence reports in my hands by the end of the day."

Tsunade's clipped, businesslike tone caused several civilian council members to stir in a nervous manner. She had no interest in tolerating ceremonial niceties as her esteemed predecessor had. The clan heads and other shinobi representatives concealed their grins.

"Well, Tsunade-sama," Homura began, as he looked at the reports in front of him, "As of now, all the other villages are maintaining their distance from us, but we expect a sharp spike in skirmishes with Kumo in the near future, and we need to decide on how to deal with that as early as possible."

"Pardon my interruption, Hokage-sama, but we wish for you to provide us with some clarifications about certain rumors that have been permeating through this village, about certain events that have occurred at the grand council meeting," a member from the civilian council spoke up, as he looked at the Hokage, who had narrowed her eyes at the interruption, with a vein pulsing in her forehead, even as she noticed that many of the members of the shinobi council seemed resigned to such interruptions. _Just how deep did this rot run?_

"I was under the impression that military matters are of no concern to the civilian council," Tsunade asked, even as she looked around at the elders for an explanation to this interruption, to which they had the grace to look abashed, while the civilian council seemed flustered.

"It is of our concern, when your actions have the potential to push our village into a conflict with not just one village, but every village in existence, Tsunade-sama," the councilor spoke again, with a bit of venom inflected in his tone, even as the temperature in the room warmed considerably.

This was nothing less than a diplomatic accusation that the new Hokage was not conducting her duties efficiently. The blonde Sannin stared the councilor down, intent upon making her dominance known.

She was Hokage now, and the civilian council's incessant meddling in the village leader's business was no longer going to be tolerated.

"Perhaps, and perhaps it would be a whole lot smarter," Tsunade parroted right back, knowing that the man was right on the mark but unwilling to admit as much, "not to insinuate that I'm a liar. I know what I am doing, and that's all that's important. I won't hear the issue again."

But the civilian council, too accustomed to Sarutobi's gentle diplomatic maneuvers failed to notice the signs of impending doom, that many of the shinobi recognized was coming. This was not going to end well.

"As of now," Another councilor interrupted, "Konoha has precious little resources to spare right now, given the mounting situation on our borders," looking at the Hokage, "and it is a matter of concern to us, as this has the potential to escalate into something beyond our control," he concluded, in a rather gentle manner, placing a rather logical point at the table.

"Despite the fact, that we are not shinobi, we too live in this village, and this is our business as well since it affects us. That fact alone mandates us with all the authority we need, on behalf of the citizens of this village, you must listen to us," the councilor who had spoken first spoke out again, causing many an eyebrow to rise at the bold statement.

"We are not unsympathetic to your position, councilor," Tsunade spoke curtly, "But the shinobi have taken over dominion of the village, as it has been, since the foundation of hidden villages, to vouchsafe an ancient, mutually shared destiny. We do not have the luxury of considering the interests of others. We are required to make hard choices, driven by self-interest. These may , at times, not suit the 'rest' of the village," she paused, as the implied message that the civilians had no choice but to listen to the shinobi was delivered subtly once again, causing many of the members of the civilian council's faces to color up, even as she continued.

"… but the rest of the world now threatens us. They have repeatedly threatened us, and injured us. Only a fool, would not expect us to defend ourselves. Are you a fool, councilor?" she asked directly, as everybody froze at their spots, as they witnessed the blatant dressing down, that was being delivered by the Hokage.

"And so you decide to place the lives of everybody in this village at risk, just because they demand your grandson's life as payment? What hypocrisy…," that was as far as the man went, for in the next instant, he felt himself being hoisted in the air, as Tsunade's hand crushed his throat in a vice-like grip, and he found himself dangling in mid-air, with his feet kicking wildly.

"Listen very carefully … to what I say … _civilian_," she enunciated clearly, even as a terrified silence reigned in the chambers, "the fact that I even allow you to speak to me directly in this chamber, is a gift that I bestow upon you, you do **not** order me. You beg for my appreciation and then wait to see if I choose to bestow it upon you," she growled, even as the man's eyes rolled back, as he began to lose consciousness.

"Tsunade, that's enough!" Sarutobi's booming voice came through the silence, shearing it like a scythe cutting through a stalk of wheat. With a disdainful snort, Tsunade flung the now terrified civilian councilor with a jerk of her hand, even as he flew through the air, and collided with the wall at the opposite end as he sank into a dead faint.

Though Tsunade's method violated all debate procedures known to human civilization, it had an immediate impact on the council, halting all conversation in an instant. The elders looked in shock towards the Hokage, noting the vein pulsing on her temple. The clan heads looked about the chamber at their shocked civilian counterparts with more than a little amusement, though the degrees varied. The Inuzuka pack leader almost burst in into mocking laughter at their expense. Meanwhile the dust settled and revealed a small impact crater where the now unconscious councilor had struck the ground. The Slug Princess looked around the room, demanding order, and not a soul dared to challenge her on the point.

"Just because the Sandaime chose to indulge your whims and fancies, do not dare to assume that I shall allow you the same liberties. Do not delude yourself into thinking that I know nothing of what you have all done behind his back," she retorted, even as she gazed at the now terrified civilian council members, who were staring at her with her absolute horror.

"You … you can't …," another terrified member squeaked out, as Tsunade gave a cruel smile.

"Oh, afraid are you, that your dirty laundry is about to be aired in public? Let me see, if I can clear up the air a bit," she spoke as she looked at Jiraiya, who silently handed her a sheaf of papers.

"Inside this, are the detailed descriptions of every fraudulent activity undertaken by you all, under the name of the council. These lists contain the details of the properties that you have misappropriated, the innocent victims whom you have framed and sentenced to various degrees of punishments, in order to settle your personal vendettas, the amount of wealth, that you have embezzled from the village, down to the last ryo, everything ... is in here," she spoke harshly, as she threw the documents across the desk in a careless manner.

The chamber became a literal din as the various councilors suggested theories, and made wild accusations, even as the members of the shinobi council took their time in examining the documents, which they were surprised to see, were completely accurate, even to the point of mentioning the time at which the said fraudulent activities were conducted, down to the last minute.

"As of now, you have a choice," Tsunade continued, even as she looked at the quaking civilian councilors, who all had the looks of a deer cornered by a predator, "all of you, will leave here voluntarily, and surrender your positions in the council, and pay back to the village, every last dime you stole, after which, you and families will quietly leave the village, with your lives intact,never to return, on pain of death. Fail to do so, and I shall have every single one of you executed, and have your families and clans dispossessed of all their belongings, and have them banished, with the stigma of being traitors attached to their names," she concluded, even as Sarutobi looked at her with shock, but after a few minutes, the old man resigned himself to what was occurring and shrugged it off, thereby signifying his assent.

Slowly, the members of the civilian council stood up, as members of the ANBU came ahead to escort them out of the building.

Sighing deeply, Tsunade sank down into her chair, even as she looked at Sarutobi, "Sarutobi-sensei, once this is all over, I want you to personally select and create a new civilian council, and please make sure that this time, it is made up of civilians who are, or were, in any case, shinobi. Having pure civilians in the council, was just a disaster waiting to happen, especially in a military society like ours," she concluded, while many of the shinobi council members murmured their assent.

* * *

"Now that this trifling matter is over, I think it is time we returned to the original matter at hand," Koharu spoke out curtly, deftly maneuvering the situation away from the tense atmosphere.

"Indeed, but, I would like to know how the Hokage managed to gather such incriminating evidence against the traitors of the former civilian council, in such a short time," Danzo mused, as he looked at Tsunade, who gave a thin smile.

"I am the Hokage, Danzo-san, there is nothing in this village that remains a secret from my eyes, nothing, not even those which are considered inviolate," she spoke curtly, even as a ripple of unease spread through all the clan heads, specifically, the Uchiha and the Hyuuga clan heads, whose knuckles whitened in tension, even as all the clan heads shared an uneasy look.

"Which brings me to the point, I have a few decrees to issue as of now …," she continued, as she looked at all the clan heads, who seemed to sit up a bit straighter.

"As of now, the Uchiha Military Police stands disbanded, instead it will be now reformed as the Konoha Military Police, and will no longer be manned solely by the members of the Uchiha clan," she announced curtly, even as Fugaku rose up to protest, only to be silenced by a glare from Jiraiya.

"Furthermore, I am here by granting the request of the Uchiha clan to move their enclave into the village, and this can begin as soon as the Uchiha clan finishes their preparations."

That nearly caused an uproar, even as Fugaku Uchiha finally fell back into his seat, with an astonished look on his face. However, as he looked at the Hokage's face, she gave him a curt nod, at which, his heart nearly skipped a beat.

_She knew, she knew what they were planning, and she is offering us an olive branch before it comes to that._

"Hokage-sama, surely, there is no need for …," Homura began hesitantly, when Tsunade cut in with a icy-clarity.

"No need? I think you underestimate the gravity of the situation we face, elder, or did you just forget the fact, that we have just forced every hidden village in the world to reassess their opinion of us? Do you think, that any of those villages, and especially Kumogakure, will sit still, when he have so blatantly humiliated them in front of the entire world? Now, more than ever, we need every single of our shinobi to stave off the skirmish that is about to come. And I don't think that having the most powerful members of the most powerful clan in the village being confined as mere policemen in such a crucial time is a viable option, considering the fact that their task can be conducted by even mere chunin. Frankly speaking, it is an insult to a capable clan like the Uchiha, and I will not see such valuable assets be squandered in such a crucial time," she retorted harshly, while Homura and Koharu frowned.

Tsunade knew the actual reason as to why the elders wished the Uchiha to be confined, and frankly speaking, she thought that the rationale behind it was pure bullshit. However, she wanted to see if the councilors had the courage to voice their true reasoning behind it in public, but she knew they would not. They couldn't afford to, as they didn't have a shred of proof.

"Do not think that I favor your clan unduly, Fugaku," Tsunade turned upon the Uchiha head, who was looking rather smug, as she gave him a dose of harsh reality as well. "Time and again, your clan has claimed to be the best in the village, now it is time for you to prove it," she retorted calmly, even as Fugaku nodded curtly.

"We will not let you down, Hokage-sama," the man promised, even as his mind began to analyze the rationale behind such a radical move.

_She knows more than she is letting on, maybe there is still a way out._

* * *

"Concerning the events that have occurred in the grand council meeting," Koharu continued, even as she looked at Tsunade with an inscrutable look, "It is guaranteed that the other villages will now definitely try to make at least one aggressive attempt against our forces, in order to determine if the Hokage's statements were true or a calculated bluff. Therefore, I believe that we have no choice but to react in an extremely brutal way to the next aggressive probe done against us by any of the other villages; regardless of the situation, the response must be so brutal that all the other nations must become aware that Konoha will no longer tolerate such insults," the old woman continued, even as the other members gave their assent, albeit hesitantly.

"So, all that needs to be done, is for us to see who will take the first plunge, Kumo, or any of the other villages," Shikaku mused out, as everybody became silent.

Suddenly, their concentration was diverted by the sound of a small sound of a toad, which had just teleported in front of Jiraiya, with a scroll tied on its back.

Frowning, Jiraiya took the scroll out and began to read the contents. As his eyes progressed further, his shoulders slackened considerably, even as his eyes widened to comical proportions.

"Jiraiya …," Tsunade called out, even as the Toad Sage finally handed over the scroll to his teacher, who was sitting next to him, as he wiped his brow.

"I don't think anybody will be conducting any aggressive probes against us in the immediate future, Tsunade. Your grandson has just seen to that," he spoke wanly, even as Sarutobi suddenly began to cough as he accidentally choked on the ashes from his tobacco pipe, even as his eyes too, went wide after seeing what was written inside.

"What do you mean?"

"_Raiha _… _has just killed Salamander Hanzo in single combat_."

* * *

**Preview of Next Chapter:**

"I have no need for your gratitude, Yugito-san," Raiha replied curtly as he looked at the woman, who was sitting in front of him, with her head hunched down, even as she tried to staunch her wounds to prevent them from bleeding further.

"My saving your life has nothing to do with any sort of kindness or charity; your presence provides me with an unique solution to a very unique problem that has been hounding me, ever since I returned to Konoha," he continued, even as the woman looked at him in surprise.

"Solution?" she asked hoarsely, as the teenager nodded curtly.

"Yes. If you agree to my proposal, you shall be granted a safe haven in Konoha, and Kumo will not dare to lay its hands upon you, ever again. You will be allowed to live your life, freely, and without any burdens nor restrictions placed upon you as well," he paused, even as he looked calculatively at the young woman, who looked surprised at the unexpected offer.

"What sort of proposal?" she asked shrewdly, even as her mind tried to analyze the motives behind the Senju's unexpected offer.

"You must consent to becoming my wife."


	9. One hellcat of a Wife!

"Shin, Fu, Torune, I have a mission for the three of you," Danzo spoke out as he eyed the three ninja kneeling in front of him.

"The new hokage…has taken a somewhat surprising turn in her attitude towards our village…while I still remain concerned about her ideology with regards to our village and the ninja world in particular," here Danzo paused, as he looked at the three kneeling ninja in front of him.

"Even I have to admit that she is probably the most powerful shinobi in the village at the moment…," the elder concluded with a gravelly tone as he paced around.

"This brings much greater complications than before," the commander of Root continued, "with the recent upheavals from Kumo; we were anticipating a violent testing of our defenses and more importantly, our will, by the other villages, in order to test the new Hokage's resolve, but now, the condition of the shinobi world is more critical than ever."

"I knew … or rather suspected, that Tsunade would not have made such a boast in front of the grand council, without an adequate ace in her hole," Danzo paused, as even his eyes narrowed, "but, sending her grandson to assassinate Hanzo, is a masterstroke that even I would not have expected of her," unspoken, but implied in that message, was the fact that even Danzo had actually been shocked to learn that the Senju boy had pulled off this impossible feat.

Hanzo was a name known to every shinobi in existence. The man, who had single-handedly protected and guarded Amegakure successfully through the three world wars, and had managed to thwart the Great Five Villages; he was the man who had single handedly defeated the three Sannin, when they were at their prime, and had given them their title. Amegakure was, for all purposes, even if unacknowledged, the sixth great village, and Hanzo, was for all purposes, the unofficial and unrecognized … Amekage.

For a single teenager, even if he was Senju, to best the personal defenses of Hanzo, and eliminate the man himself, and then escape from Amegakure alive, was a feat worthy of being hailed as nothing short of legendary. A feat which would instill in every one of their enemies, a sliver of fear, fear about Konoha's new ruthlessness and prowess, as intended from such an act.

He knew, from personal association of course, just how paranoid and how fanatical Hanzo's security apparatus was, and he knew, that regardless of what had transpired, the remnants of Hanzo's regime would be baying for blood, and it would not be sated until they had Raiha in their clutches.

"This event …," Danzo paused, "has now given us the opportunity we need, to cement our new status as a true village of assassins, a village of true shinobi, but above all else, for this to happen, the Senju boy must be protected at all costs. If the information I have received is correct, then at the moment, the boy is making his escape from the land of rain, and is making his way back home. However, his path leads him through a route, that will take him through the borders of Ta no Kuni, and …,"

"Kaminari no Kuni …," Fu finished for him, as Danzo looked at his subordinate, without any emotion in his mind.

"Exactly …," Danzo grunted gutturally, "and rest assured, just like us, I am sure that the other villages too, have by now been notified, of exactly what … has transpired in the Land of Rain. If the Kumo Nin are even remotely intelligent, which we know they are … even they too should have come to the inescapable conclusion that Raiha must pass through their borders first, if he has to reach his home. Having the Senju, the one who is responsible for all their current misfortune, alone and unaided within their territory is a chance that they cannot afford to ignore."

"Konoha … cannot officially send its troops to that side of the border right now … however, fortunately for us, we are not bound by the red tape of bureaucracy. You three, are to immediately lead a battalion of the Ne, to the border regions of Hi no Kuni, and infiltrate Kumo's borders, make contact with the Hokage's grandson, and escort him safely back to our village. Konoha's victory over the Grand Council will not be complete until the Hokage's grandson returns back to the village in triumph, if our image is to be upheld in the shinobi world, it is … essential," the old man concluded, while the three men in front of him, vanished instantly to execute his orders.

Danzo was right on most of the points, except for two. One, he had assumed that Raiha had assassinated Hanzo on Tsunade's orders, when actually, even Tsunade was just as in the dark about this event as he was.

Second, was his guess that the Kumo Nin would be planning to ambush Raiha, as he made his way through their borders. In a normal scenario, it would have been true, however, Kumo, at that moment was in an upheaval of its own.

Namely, trying to recapture the Jinchuuriki of the two-tailed cat, Yugito Nii, who had just become a Nuke-Nin.

* * *

Yugito Nii, the jinchuuriki of the Nibi no Nekomata was currently trapped in the most dangerous situation she had ever found herself in. Currently, she was running for her life, in the forests, within the borders of Kaminari no Kuni, & Ta no Kuni, even as a horde of men chased her, armed to the teeth.

The reason why she was in this predicament was because the daimyo of Kaminari no Kuni, had ordered her execution, holding her responsible for the massive loss of prestige that his land had suffered, and orders had been sent to the Raikage, ordering nothing short of absolute compliance, lest Kumogakure no Sato itself be razed to the ground.

Realizing the dire situation, Ei had complied, after reassessing his priorities. Even the Yondaime Raikage, could not afford to risk the wrath of the daimyo any further than already possible, lest he endanger himself. Besides, from a tactical point of view, even she, the jinchuuriki of the two-tails was expendable, after all, compared to the eight-tailed beast, she was on the lower scale of the food chain, not to mention the fact that Bee was more valued than her, and that was ignoring the fact that he was Ei's brother. Besides, executing jinchuuriki and making new ones at a whim was nothing new to her village. It was basically a time-honored tradition in Kumo.

However, Yugito was not willing to lie down, and let herself be killed. It was not out of a desire to live, but a matter of pride. All her life, she had served her village faithfully, and loyally, and her record had always been spotless. A matchless record, and a stellar array of skills, and her absolute loyalty to her village, had seen her name in contention for the position of the fifth Raikage no less, along with Darui's name; the first woman to ascend to the post of Raikage, which could and should have been her fate. However, fate, it seemed had other plans in store for her.

Her spotless record had been tarnished for the first time, when her mission to assassinate Hiashi Hyuuga had the misfortune of being intercepted by none other than the new Godaime Hokage herself. As good as her men were, they were never a match for the likes of someone like Tsunade Senju herself in person. The fact that her team member had mutinied was the only reason why she had escaped official censure.

The second case, again with the Hyuuga, she snorted, Ei was obsessed with obtaining the Byakugan, since it had been his father, the third Raikage's last wish, and now, just for obeying her orders like a true shinobi, she had been left to the proverbial wolves.

If death was to be her reward for being a loyal soldier, then she would rather live by being disloyal, and deliver Kumo an even greater blow for the treacherous way in which it had treated her. A rogue jinchuuriki could never survive individually, she knew that. A jinchuuriki without allegiance to any village was too tempting a prize to be ignored, and she would have hunters from every village and without, after her head.

Nevertheless, she would not give up, not until she had taken the life of the man, who was the cause of all her misfortune. Senju Raiha, the grandson of the Godaime Hokage.

* * *

Darui, Shi, and a battalion of Kumo ninja were currently in hot pursuit of Yugito, along with the special shinobi contingent of the Lightning Daimyo's court. The _Kingin Kyodai,_ and their shinobi contingent, who served as the daimyo's immediate and personal guard, and more importantly … _executioners_.

Darui was currently contemplating how the situation had gotten out of hand so quickly. After receiving the daimyo's orders, a near mutiny had broken out in Kumo, because despite her recent failures, Yugito was a highly respected ninja, and tempers had run high. However, the law prevailed and the Raikage's will was absolute. Only Darui and Shi, knew how dire the situation was. Kumogakure's very survival now depended upon Yugito's execution. The daimyo had made it crystal clear. It was both a warning and a punishment, reminding Kumo, that they were subservient to the daimyo's power. Moreover, they could not resist, lest they spark a civil war along the lines of Mist and Kirigakure.

Already, a terrific fight had ensued between Ei and Bee, when Bee had flatly refused to go after Yugito, so much so, that he was willing to lay his life on the line for his fellow jinchuuriki, something, that despite the situation, Darui could not help but admire.

However, the fact remained that Yugito, despite everything to the contrary, was the third strongest shinobi in Kumogakure, a position that had been contested hotly for between the two of them. Darui knew that only the skills he had acquired under the tutelage of the Third Raikage allowed him to compete as a near equal to her. However, should she ever manage to completely tame her beast like Bee, then even he too, he knew, would not stand a chance against her.

_But they might_… he thought uneasily, as he looked at his companions, the infamous _Kingin Kyodai_, the descendants of the even more infamous Kinkaku & Ginkaku, the two most powerful and most reviled criminals in Kumo's history.

The original Kinkaku and Ginkaku, were two infamous brothers, who had managed to survive after being eaten alive by the Kyuubi no Kitsune, wherein they had actually eaten literally, the flesh of the Kyuubi itself, inside its stomach and had survived for two weeks, before the beast itself spat them out. Because of this, a sliver of the Kyuubi's chakra resided within the brothers, imbibing them with the abilities of a Jinchuuriki, even without housing a bijuu within them. This conversely, made them actually strong enough to wield the five treasures of the _Rikudo Sennin, _without any of the fatal drawbacks usually accompanied with using the said items. They had become Pseudo-jinchuuriki, with all the abilities of one, without any of the drawbacks involved.

These abilities made them prideful beyond belief and, their violent tendencies became even more pronounced, until they became criminals, willing to overthrow the village itself. In an attempted coup, they had managed to kill the Nidaime Raikage, and brought the Nidaime Hokage, Tobirama Senju, close to death, when they had ambushed a peace summit between Kumo and Konoha, thereby effectively wrecking any chance of peace with Konoha forever. The second Raikage had been killed, while the second Hokage had barely managed to escape with his life, and afterwards, had again run into the misfortune of running into Salamander Hanzo, who used this chance to betray Konoha, and had managed to kill the weakened Senju leader by effectively exploiting the situation. Finally, in a gigantic battle, costing nearly a quarter of the strength of Kumo itself, the two brothers had been killed.

However, when it became apparent, that their imbibed ability of wielding the Kyuubi's power had been passed on to their descendants, their descendants had run straight to the daimyo and offered the services of their family in perpetuity in return for protection from Kumo. The daimyo at the time, was quick to see the benefits of having a clan of shinobi capable of taking on a shinobi village single-handedly, and had granted them his patronage and protection, and that clan had forever served as guardians of the Lightning daimyo's.

When it became public that the abilities inherited from Kinkaku and Ginkaku had mutated, allowing the clan members to tame and subdue a tailed beast's chakra, it had worried even Kumo. A clan capable of subduing Kumo's two jinchuuriki, it's most powerful weapons, who served as the daimyo's personal executioners. It was simply a message by the daimyo, stating that he held within his hands the power to subdue even the village's greatest weapons, should they ever rebel in the future, and forever the clan had hung over Kumo's head like the perpetual sword of Damocles.

However, all that had come to a head, after nearly twenty years, when the clan members had desired to fully gain the power of the Kyuubi, and had attempted to kidnap the second jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, Uzumaki Kushina. What was not known, however, at that time, was that Kushina was the fiancé of the Yellow Flash.

When the Yellow Flash had learnt that his betrothed had been kidnapped, he had single-handedly pursued them, and in the ensuing battle, the clan had been subjected to what could only be termed as genocide under the enraged Namikaze Minato's hands. The two brothers, the current _Kingin Kyodai,_ the grandsons of the original Kinkaku and Ginkaku, had been the only survivors of that massacre.

But, for the daimyo to send them again, meant that he was now truly willing to risk even civil war, just to soothe his hurt pride, by ordering the execution of Yugito, who had predictably retaliated, and now, they had a rogue jinchuuriki on their hands.

This was … too troublesome.

* * *

Senju Raiha on the other hand, had a different problem. After wiping out Hanzo's retainers in his tower, he had made his way out of Amegakure's borders, when he realized that he had underestimated the loyalty Hanzo's men had towards their fallen leader. He had underestimated it very badly, if the nearly eighty Amegakure Jonin chasing after him, were any clue.

He was currently making his way through the northwestern border of Kumo and Ta no Kuni, when one of his shadow clone scouts dispelled and relayed him some information, _some very interesting information._

It was time to go to work.

* * *

Yugito was getting nearly desperate. She knew who was chasing after her, of course. The Kingin Kyodai, the bane of every Jinchuuriki in Kumo. And accompanied by Darui, and Shi, no less. With the best sensor in Kumo helping them, she knew that her chances of really making it out was dire. Her only hope was to cross out of Kumo's border, and infiltrate the borders of another village. And if she was lucky, she could maybe lure her pursuers into the patrol routes of Amegakure ninja.

Then, the Kumo ninja would have no choice but to abandon their pursuit. Daimyo' orders or not, she knew that Darui would never let Kumo ninja get into conflict with Salamander Hanzo' s men. No one messed with Hanzo on their own. No one human at least.

Even more important, was her desire to avoid falling into the clutches of the Kingin Kyodai, because, she knew that if she fell into the hands of those two, then staying alive would be the least of her concerns. The two brother's penchant for kidnapping young women and brutally using them as pleasure-slaves, before they disposed them off, was well known. The daimyo had turned a blind eye to these misdemeanors, because of their usefulness, but she knew, without a doubt, what her fate would be, if she fell into the hands of those two brothers.

As engrossed as she was in her thoughts, she was caught completely unawares, when suddenly, a hand covered her mouth, and dragged her up into the canopy of trees.

Before she could attempt to even struggle, a soft whisper came into her ears, "if you wish to survive, do not make a single movement, this cloaking genjutsu can protect us, only if we remain completely still."

Just as Yugito prepared to retort, the Kumo battalion that was pursuing her came to the bottom of the very tree, upon which she and her mysterious rescuer were situated.

* * *

"She is gone," Shi muttered quietly, as he looked around at the surroundings. "Her chakra has completely vanished."

"Vanished … or cloaked?" Darui mused, as he looked at the surroundings. For some reason, his eyes were inexplicably drawn towards the panoply of trees, which hung overhead.

"She is here, I can smell her beast," a guttural voice came out, as one the two brothers' came forward. He was a burly shinobi, with a muscular build and towering stature. He seemingly possessed long, gold colored hair with prominent dark tips, arranged in a style reminiscent of a Native American headdress. These features were accentuated by the presence of two distinctive horns that emerged from the abundant hair on his head as well as a light-colored rectangular marking on his nose. His attire was comprised of the standard Kumogakure Flak Jacket, worn over a high-collared sleeveless uniform, and a pair of simple wrist-guards. The kanji for "gold" was tattooed upon the shoulder of his exposed left arm. All in all, he looked like an exact replica of his grandfather, the original Kinkaku.

"When I find that whore … she is gonna regret making me chase after her, damn, no one does this to us, no one … that bitch is going to pay … big time," he growled, while the Kumo ninja looked at him, with unease in their eyes, while a few of them growled, knowing full well, what the man intended to do to Yugito.

As his mind thought about Yugito, Kinkaku's mind recreated the image of the beautiful woman in his mind. _I will kill tonight … and you will be my prize … you will serve me and my brother_. Kinkaku, even cold and wet, felt himself stiffen.

Kinkaku knew that he deserved this woman. He and his brother had served the daimyo well. The woman was a spoil of war, and when he and his brother finished with her, he would pull her and force her to her knees. She would service him again. _The ultimate submission. _Then at the moment of his own climax, he would slit her throat, and wrench that beast out of her corpse.

"Where is she … Shi, any luck?" Darui asked again, while the sensor shook his head. Kinkaku growled, turned around, and roughly pushed the men around him, as he made his way, towards his brother, who had been silent the entire time, and had been staring at the top of the elder tree at the end of the clearing.

With a smile, he reached for his younger brother, and laid his hand on his younger brother's shoulder, only to jerk back in shock as he watched Ginkaku's head roll off its shoulders.

* * *

His primal roar of rage, shook every Kumo shinobi out of their reverie as they raced to the man. One look at the decapitated corpse of Ginkaku, had them all pull their weapons out, searching for threats. Kinkaku gave a guttural roar of rage, as red colored chakra poured out of his body, in a trickle, even as he raced into the forest, roaring like a beast.

"Shit … Manji formation, all of you, in teams of four," Darui growled, as the Kumo ninja gathered in groups of four and took guarding positions.

Darui watched camouflaged within the large redwood tree that stood opposite the elder tree as his group made took flanking positions around the area.

The team's movements were fast and fluid, professional. The men charged into the areas with their weapons drawn. They fanned out quickly, moved in pairs. They checked every tree, every branch, and every single shrub in the area, even the roots.

Atop the tree opposite the area, which was nearly one hundred and forty meters tall, from his extremely well concealed vantage point, Darui watched the search, with what appeared to be a calm and dispassionate eye.

However, if anybody had looked carefully beyond those opaque eyes, they would have noticed that he was a seriously pissed-off individual.

In fact, Darui was not annoyed at the attackers _per se_. Sure, at first, he'd been annoyed with himself for not picking up the arrival of the attackers far earlier. It was only after Ginkaku had bit the dust, did he realize that he had walked into one spectacular ambush. What really made him angry, however, was that he had lost the initiative in this little skirmish.

The assaulters had caught him off guard, and had forced him to abandon his comfort zone, thereby denying him room to maneuver, well, he would soon fix that, permanently.

He tried desperately to fight his anger. He couldn't allow himself to be angry. He couldn't _afford_ to feel that way.

Whenever he found himself beginning to get angry, Darui always remembered the lesson that the Sandaime Raikage had imparted to him.

The third had had a cocky, hard-edged lecture style that Darui had liked – a rapid-fire series of questions and answers that had proceeded in a simple, logical procession.

"In any combat exchange," he had said, "be it a world war or an isolated one-on-one standoff, or even if it is a one-against-many scenario, the first question you always ask yourself this: _what is your opponent's objective?_ What does he want? Unless you know the answer to that question, you'll never be able to ask yourself the second question: _how is he going to get it?_

"And I will tell you right now, Darui, that the second question is of far greater importance to you than the first. Why? Because what he wants is insignificant insofar as strategy is concerned. What he wants is an object, that is all. World domination, unlimited wealth, women, it does not matter. _Who cares?_ Knowing of it means nothing, in and itself. _How he plans to get it, _on the other hand, means everything. Because that is action. And action can be stopped, _because every action has an equal and opposite reaction, but armed with such foreknowledge, it becomes an opposite and a superior reaction._"

"So, once you have answered this second question, then you can proceed to question no 3: _what are you going to do to stop him?_"

When he had been speaking about command and leadership, the third Raikage had repeatedly stressed the need for cool-headed reason. A ninja, acting under the influence of rage or frustration, would only get himself killed.

"As a ninja," he had said, "you simply cannot _afford _to get angry or upset."

* * *

"Perfect … phase one complete, phase two … starts … now," Raiha muttered, even as he noticed Darui take effective measures to prevent any further attacks. _Just as planned._

Then, as Raiha had expected, the Amegakure ninja, who had been chasing him from Amegakure, walked into the area, where the Kumo ninja had hidden themselves.

A perfect setup. To the eyes of the Kumo ninja, the Amegakure Nin were trespassers and initiators of hostilities.

Yugito watched in horrified fascination as the Kumo ninja led by Darui, descended upon the last remaining followers of Salamander Hanzo, like a thunderstorm in all its glory.

"That takes care of this problem. One loose end remains to be tied up, before we can leave," Raiha muttered coldly, even as Yugito stiffened.

_Kinkaku._

* * *

Meanwhile, the Amegakure ninja had walked into a spectacular ambush, as Darui, and his team, began to decimate their ranks, with a methodical slaughter.

However, now, Darui had another reason to be pleased. He could now abandon the search for Yugito, who he had no desire to harm in the first place. Ginkaku's death could be attributed to the Amegakure ninja, thereby absolving him and his team of any responsibility.

As for Kinkaku, he knew that Yugito could take care of him. A fair trade in his opinion. For ridding Kumo of the threat of the two renegade brothers, she would be allowed to escape, a mutually beneficial transaction in his opinion.

He smirked as he turned his attention to the Ame ninja who were now getting more desperate.

Ironically, he would never realize what a grave mistake he had made.

* * *

**In another area, a few miles away from that location, after a couple of hours,**

* * *

As she made her way towards the outskirts of the borders, Yugito was finally feeling the rush of adrenaline leave her.

She had left the area where the Kumo team and the Ame Team had engaged in a skirmish immediately, after blindsiding her unknown helper, she had made her way back to the border. She did feel a little guilty, about betraying the man who had helped her, but she couldn't take any chances. She was in too dangerous a situation too trust anyone implicitly, as of now.

What worried her was the fact that she could no longer feel the chakra of the person, who had helped her, and that gave her pause.

_Who was he? Why did he help her? And what was his purpose?_

Suddenly, she was cut out of her reverie, as she noticed what was in front of her.

Kinkaku.

A very angry, and very pissed Kinkaku.

With a roar, Kinkaku began a blitz of strikes against Yugito, and Yugito found that they were indeed all of them, aimed at her vital points. If she failed to deflect even a single one, she would most likely be skewered.

Attack, defend, counterattack, dodge, the two of them clashed and broke apart in a dance that anyone less powerful than a Kage couldn't even begin to follow. The landscape around them was torn to shreds, Kinkaku's attacks creating gouges in the ground, Yugito's attacks demolishing the trees around them.

When they finally stopped, both of them were still uninjured, but they were panting as though they'd just run a race.

" I am so going to enjoy this, whore … your suffering will be legendary … you will pay for what you did to Ginkaku," Kinkaku growled, as the red chakra became more pronounced and covered his body.

Yugito slouched down, as the Nibi's chakra flared around her body, even as her nails elongated to claws, while she took on a more feral stance. In his rage-induced state, Kinkaku failed to notice that her cloak was more potent than his own.

With a roar, the man charged at her, and at the very last moment, Yugito ducked, and swiped at his torso, with her bijuu-chakra enhanced claws. The flimsy coating of Kyuubi's chakra, covering Kinkaku was shredded like tissue paper, even as the woman literally eviscerated him. With a ear-rending howl, Kinkaku collapsed, even as his entrails literally fell to the ground, while he curled into a foetal position, trying vainly to staunch his fatal injury.

"How," the downed man moaned in a piteous whimper as he looked at her with tear-stained eyes, while Yugito scoffed, " Bee told you once, and I will repeat it again, pseudo-jinchuuriki, such as yourselves have no right to bare your fangs at someone like us, who is the real deal."

She slowly made her way towards the man, who was bleeding to death, and with a roar, she drove her Nibi-chakra enhanced fist right into his head, which exploded like a melon with the force, showering her with blood, and brain matter.

"Well done, Yugito-san, it would seem that my intervention was not warranted after all," a voice came from behind her , even as she instantly whirled around and lashed out with her claw, only for her forearm to be gripped by an arm with a vice-like grip.

As Yugito got a good look at the person, her eyes widened as she finally discovered the identity of her rescuer.

"Senju Raiha!"

* * *

As he looked at the injured and bleeding woman in front of him, Raiha could see a myriad of emotions flit through her face. _Shock, Surprise, Rage _and finally, _curiosity mixed with a bit of reluctant gratitude_. As she opened her mouth to speak, Raiha cut her off. As he looked at the woman, his mind raced with a myriad of possibilities, and finally settled upon a particular train of thought. _Yes, _she could be useful.

"I have no need for your gratitude, Yugito-san," Raiha replied curtly as he looked at the woman, who was sitting in front of him, with her head hunched down, even as she tried to staunch her wounds to prevent them from bleeding further.

"My saving your life has nothing to do with any sort of kindness or charity; your presence provides me with a unique solution to a very unique problem that has been hounding me, ever since I returned to Konoha," he continued, even as the woman looked at him in surprise.

"Solution?" she asked hoarsely, as the teenager nodded curtly.

"Yes. If you agree to my proposal, you shall be granted a safe haven in Konoha, and Kumo will not dare to lay its hands upon you, ever again. You will be allowed to live your life, freely, and without any burdens nor restrictions placed upon you as well," he paused, even as he looked calculatively at the young woman, who looked surprised at the unexpected offer.

"What sort of proposal?" she asked shrewdly, even as her mind tried to analyze the motives behind the Senju's unexpected offer.

"You must consent to becoming my wife."

Sometimes, the human mind sometimes cannot bear shocks of such magnitude and it felt as if her mind temporarily shut itself up. Finally, she recollected her bearings and looked at him, with pure unadulterated shock.

"You must be … joking! You cannot seriously expect me to believe it!" she whispered hoarsely, as she looked at him, wondering whether the young man in front of her was actually insane.

"I assure you … I am in complete control of my mental faculties, Yugito-san. Besides, this provides you with a very elegant solution to your problem. You must realize by now, that with the deaths of Kinkaku and Ginkaku, the domineering control of the royal family of lightning has been lifted from Kumo. The daimyo will not leave this standing. This could very well lead to a civil war in your country. Furthermore, you will be hunted down to the ends of the earth. Every hidden village in existence will send its hunters after you. A powerful female Kunoichi, who is also a rogue jinchuuriki is too enticing a target to ignore for anyone. You will never know a moment of peace," he concluded, while Yugito snarled in impotent anger realizing that he was correct.

"However, if you were to accept my offer, it would give you the absolute protection that you need. You will … become the daughter-in-law of the Hokage herself, of the leader of the most powerful hidden village in the world. The entire might of Konohagakure will stand before you and any potential threats you face. As powerful as he might be, even the lightning country daimyo will not dare to wage war against the Fire country. Besides, I suspect he will be too busy in trying to reassert his lost control over your former home," Raiha paused, as he looked at the young woman, and he could see that she was giving it some serious thought.

Yugito's mind was awhirl with the possibilities. She could understand the logic behind the Senju's words, but to accept him … as husband … as the future father of her children … she was not prepared yet to make such a life-altering decision. _He was not unattractive … but …_ "What's in it for you? Why do you desire me for a wife? Surely, with your status in Konoha, you could have anyone you wanted?"

"True … but that is not my concern," Raiha replied nonchalantly, "You see … there are certain factions in my village, which are exerting tremendous pressure upon my grandmother to forcibly marry me off to whom they deem to be suitable brides, in order to revive my clan and promote their ideology. And I … simply have no need to marry. I am not interested in marriage or anything else that accompanies it…"

"Excuse me!" Yugito exploded in anger, "What the hell do you mean? You ask me to marry you, and then you say you are not interested in marriage … then why the hell are you doing this … or do you believe that I am not suitable for the great Senju clan? Is that it? You want me as some sort of trophy wife to signify your victory over Kumo, isn't it?" she roared, with rage clouding her eyes, while Raiha remained as impassive as ever.

"None of the above," he replied in the same monotone voice, as he observed Yugito, "By marrying you, and presenting you as my wife, I can effectively block all attempts, by those various factions, intending to exert their control over my grandmother's work and life, through such an alliance. If I present you as my wife, I will have no need to marry anybody else, and their paths will be effectively locked and barred. As for you not being suitable, I assure you, your physical attributes are not a concern in the least," he spoke quietly, while Yugito snarled in anger.

"You are … for a female … quite attractive according to the prevalent standards of the world, but," Raiha continued, "I assure you, if you were to be my wife, I shall in no way force you to go through with the conjugal duties that come along with marriage. I shall not force you in any way. You shall have complete freedom and control over my home and my clan, as the clan head's daughter-in-law, and the future head's wife. Your safety will be guaranteed, you will have a position of honor, and respect. And all I ask in return, is for you to be my wife, in all but name, so that I may ensure the well-being of my grandmother. This, I swear," he concluded, while Yugito's eyes went wide.

"You are serious, aren't you?" she whispered in shock as the magnitude of the revelation sunk in. The young man in front of her, was willing to sacrifice his entire future, his life, and his family line, just to ensure that his grandmother was not inconvenienced in any way. Such a sacrifice, and in return, he had offered her, her life, her safety, and so much more. However, this meant that she would never have a true life, a true family, children of her own, if his monastic abstinence held true, but considering the alternatives in front of her, _it is rather a small price to pay, besides, he seems sincere, and I have nothing more to lose. _

She shrugged in a fatalistic manner, "It seems I have no other choice, very well … _I accept."_

* * *

**Preview of next chapter:**

In the training ground, Hatake Kakashi looked at his team, and held up two bells. "As I told you before, this is a test. There are two bells here, and you must get them. The ones who get these bells, will be allowed to remain as Genin, while the one who fails will be sent back to the academy. And let me tell you one thing, you will not succeed unless you come at me with the intent to kill …," suddenly, Kakashi paused as he remembered what a major blunder he had made.

He slowly looked at his team, and sure enough, Uchiha Sasuke and Sakura Haruno were edging away from their third … _teammate. _

"Oh … fuck me!" Kakashi groaned in despair as Raiha unsheathed the Raijin and glared at him, while Tsunade roared with laughter in her chambers, as every Jonin in the tower, smirked at the visage of a terrified Kakashi running for his life from Raiha, came clearly through the Hokage's viewing crystal ball.


	10. Interlude: The Victorious Return to Home

"Have you made up your mind?" Raiha asked the woman in front of him, with his eyes fixed unnervingly upon her face.

Knowing that with her acceptance, she would forever bind her fate with the man in front her, Yugito snorted, in a very indelicate manner, "Of course, besides what other option do I have?"

Turning forward to leave, Raiha remarked, "Don't flatter yourself, it was your only option, and you know it."

Gnashing her teeth, Yugito followed him, as they rapidly made their way towards the village of Konoha.

* * *

Few miles away from their location, the team of three Root Ninja's, dispatched by Danzo were rapidly making their way towards the Route upon which they planned to intercept the Hokage's grandson as he made his way back to the village.

As they made their way towards their target, Fuu their sensor, stiffened for a second. Instantly, both Torune and Shin moved their hands to the hilts of their swords.

"What is it?" Torune asked Fuu quietly. He knew better than to doubt his friend. Fuu was the best sensor in all of Konoha, even though Konoha itself was unaware of that fact.

"Twenty-four enemies are rapidly making their way towards the Hokage's grandson and his companion, intent appears to be hostile, their gait and their chakra natures indicate they are from the land of wood."

"Companion? I was not aware that Raiha-san had anyone assisting him?" Shin mentioned thoughtfully, while Fuu shook his head.

"Whoever this woman is," here both Torune and Shin looked at him in surprise, "has a massive chakra reserve. The only other female I have seen coming remotely close to matching that kind of chakra capacity is the Lady Hokage herself."

"We need to hurry," Torune muttered as the three of them sped forward.

Soon, the other two also became aware of the enemies racing alongside them towards the Hokage's grandson. They had no doubt that they had been detected, but left alone.

It was a logical decision. The Hokage's grandson was the target, not some three no-name ninjas like themselves. The greater prize warranted the greater attention. It had now turned into an all-out race to reach the Hokage's grandson.

"You do realize that even if we reach there first, we will still be vastly outnumbered?" Torune muttered quietly, while his friend was silent, "We may be stronger, and quality may be better than quantity, but quantity has a quality of its own as well."

"They are remnants of the assassins from the land of Wood, if my lessons in history serve me right, are they not? Why would they assault the Hokage's grandson? If anything, shouldn't they be aiming for Danzo-sama for spearheading the destruction of their clan and village?" Shin asked in confusion as he looked at his two seniors.

"They are doing so, because the one, who ordered Danzo-sama to eliminate the land of wood, was the Nidaime Hokage. During the course of the second world war, they were allied with us, at first, but they betrayed us, and in doing so, were indirectly responsible for the deaths of nearly half the members of the Senju clan, during the battle of Mikata-ga-hara. That battle hastened the decline of the Senju clan, and the Nidaime ordered the razing of their land and village in retaliation. We wiped out the village hidden in the land of the wood and permanently destroyed any chances they might have possessed for reviving their village."

"The Nidaime was aware of Root?" Shin asked in surprise, as he found that dubious.

"He founded it, and ran it, when the Shodai Hokage asked him to create a special unit within the newly formed ANBU during the first ninja war. When he became Hokage, he handed over its reins to Danzo-sama," Fuu replied glibly, while Shin became silent.

"But the war has been over a long time, besides none of us even existed during that time. Why are they attempting to take revenge after so many years of inactivity?" Shin asked as they sped forward.

"I guess the news that the Senju clan has been revived, must have been more than they can bear. If my guess is right, every last person, capable of being a shinobi from that land has come here today to take revenge, and to kill the last male Senju," Torune observed, while Shin fell silent.

"There is one thing you must learn, Shin. If politics makes strange bedfellows, then covert actions make even stranger ones. Diplomacy demands that politicians bury their differences when the need arises. However, shinobi do not. They nurse their grudges. Forever," Fuu spoke softly. Offhand, it was possibly the best advice anybody from Root had ever given to him.

* * *

As they made their way forward, Raiha suddenly stiffened, even as Yugito instantly moved her hands towards her weapon holster.

"What is it?"

"We are about to have company," Raiha muttered softly, even as three ninja's wearing Konoha ANBU uniforms, sans face masks, came into view, looking like they had just run all over the world.

"Raiha-sama, our deepest apologies, but we were ordered to come to your aid …," the leader began, only to be interrupted by Raiha, "By Danzo, yes, I know."

"You … knew? And you were expecting us, but how?" the leader seemed flustered, while the body posture of his men slackened considerably.

"Because Danzo is Danzo, I know how people like him think and act, better than most, perhaps better than he himself," he concluded, while the two lieutenants of Root Stiffened.

"_If the __boy__ is as smart as I suspect him to be, the__n he will have anticipated your arrival for his assistance, beforehand__,_" unbidden, the memory of Danzo uttering these words came back to the mind of Torune. _It would seem that Danzo-sama was correct in his estimations._

Then their eyes fell upon Yugito, who was standing beside Raiha, wearing the flak jacket and uniform of a Kumo Nin. More importantly, they noticed her slashed forehead protector, indicating her current allegiance, or rather lack thereof.

As the three Root Nin slowly tightened their guard, Raiha muttered softly, "I would appreciate it, if you do not antagonize my wife. I cannot guarantee your safety otherwise."

Within the second, all three stared at him in open astonishment, and gazed at the woman in wonder.

"Do you know who our unwanted guests are?" he asked in the same tone, as he gazed at the woods ahead, while the three of them took up guarding positions around him, and surprisingly, Yugito as well.

"They are the remnants of the Hanya assassins from the land of Wood, Raiha-sama, it would seem that they are here to exact vengeance upon you, for the casualties they suffered at the hands of Root ninja when the Nidaime Hokage ordered Danzo – sama to deal with them, during the second ninja war," Shin spoke out quietly, while Raiha became silent as he pondered over the information.

"From the Land of Wood? But they have been defunct for decades!" Yugito spoke out in shock as she eyed Shin.

"Not as defunct as we thought, apparently," Fuu grunted as he too began to make preparations for an imminent assault.

"Hanya assassins, eh, yes, I believe I know how to deal with them now," Raiha spoke out as he began to concentrate his chakra

"You two," he spoke as he turned to face Fuu and Torune, "Identify yourselves, and state your abilities; I need to know the abilities of everyone present to form a battle plan," Raiha ordered as he looked at them squarely.

"Fuu, sensor, as well as trap expert and wielder of the Yamanaka bloodline."

"Torune, infiltration, as well as the wielder of the Aburame bloodline."

"Shin, demolition expert and pictomancer."

* * *

"What the hell are they waiting for?" Yugito spoke out in agitation as she eyed the area surrounding them. It had been nearly ten minutes, since they had been surrounded, but the enemy had not made a single move towards their positions, which was understandably nerve-wracking for the Konoha ninjas.

"Let us find out. Fuu, which one is the nearest to our location?" Raiha asked, at which Fuu scouted around.

"There, 15 yards, south west direction, in the trees," Fuu pointed out at which Raiha nodded.

"Can you use the Shintenshin on him, from here?" Raiha asked quietly. Fuu nodded in agreement.

"Do so, find out what they are planning," Raiha ordered, at which, the man nodded.

"Torune, guard my body," he spoke softly and made the seals as his partner grabbed hold of his body.

"Shintenshin no Jutsu," and with that he forcibly took over the mind of the target using astral projection and forcibly viewed his memories, and instantly returned back.

"Raiha-sama, they are waiting for reinforcements, another hundred shinobi to arrive to their aid, momentarily," Fuu spoke out quietly.

"I see, under the circumstances, I suppose this is unavoidable, we must first get rid of these people, and then, prepare an ambush for the expected reinforcements," Raiha spoke out quickly at which everybody nodded and moved forward to take offensive positions.

After gathering the necessary chakra, Raiha made five hand seals rapidly, as he plunged his palm to the ground.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu," (Summoning technique), he intoned as he flared his chakra, through the seal matrix that appeared within his palm, as a large amount of smoke covered the area.

The Root Nin stiffened, unaware of the fact that their target possessed a summoning contract. Yugito was watching the proceedings with a gimlet eye.

When the smoke cleared, three rabbits, each of them, the size of a full-grown dog stood in front of them.

All three of the rabbits wore what appeared to be the apparel of a samurai, with a daisho, and light leather armor covering their front and back, along with leather bracers on their fore-paws, which were similar to a human hand, they noticed.

The rabbit on the left was white in color, with green eyes, and possessed an air of nobility inherent within it. The rabbit on the middle was black in color with red eyes, and possessed an air of authority, while the rabbit on the right was brown in color, with blue eyes, and looked dispassionate and uninterested in the proceedings.

"Lao-Tzu, Sun-Tzu, & Chao-Tzu, thank you for your prompt response," Raiha bowed in greeting as the Rabbits bowed in return.

"Did you know that there was a rabbit summoning contract in existence?" Torune whispered, while Fuu shook his head minutely, watching the creatures in fascination.

* * *

Konoha possessed only five summoning contracts which were known. Three of them were major contracts, them being the Ape contract of the Sandaime, the Slug contract of the Godaime, the Toad contract wielded by the Yondaime and his teacher Jiraiya, and the minor contracts were the dog contract by Kakashi Hatake, and the Turtle contract by Maito Gai.

The Snake contract had been lost, when the Snake Sannin had defected, and although his apprentice could summon the minor creatures of the clan, the traitor had ensured that his apprentice could not summon the clan leaders, and gain their blessings to use the contract completely. They also knew that Danzo had a contract, but they didn't know what creatures it was for.

So, Konoha had five publicly known contracts, and one hidden, and it appeared that this number had just gone up by one more.

* * *

At Fuu's whisper, the black rabbit in middle, twitched and turned towards him with a stern glare, "There is a lot you don't know, child," at which the man began to sweat, as he felt an enormous amount of killing amount hit him from the creature.

"Peace, Sun-Tzu, he did not mean anything by it, forgive him," Raiha spoke in a quiet tone, even as the rabbit relented.

"Name your reason for summoning us, boy," Sun-Tzu commanded, while the watching humans raised their eyebrows, at seeing such a forceful summon.

"Master Sun-Tzu, we are currently surrounded by twenty-four enemies, and a hundred more are to arrive for their aid. I humbly request your assistance in dispatching this threat," Raiha made his request, while the rabbits paused.

As one, the three rabbits turned around, even as their long ears twitched for a few seconds.

"Very well, our blades have grown dull without any blood to whet them for quite some time, we shall aid you," Sun-Tzu muttered, and within the blink of an eye, he vanished.

"To raise my blade to cut down such unworthy foes, is unbefitting of my noble status, but, the rabbit clan honors its debts," Lao-Tzu, the white rabbit, muttered with a sigh, even as he too vanished.

"Though cast am I from the hearth of my home, black tears dribble from mine eyes, at the thought of the bloodshed that is to come," the brown rabbit muttered with a sigh, as it too vanished.

* * *

"Did that rabbit, just make a haiku?" Yugito asked, perplexed, while Raiha just stood still.

"Pardon me, Raiha-sama, but I was unaware that there was a rabbit contract in existence. If it is not too presumptuous of me to question so; when exactly did you acquire it?" Torune asked, while Raiha looked at him with his same impassive gaze, but the man did not flinch unlike many others.

After a few minutes, he began to speak, "The Rabbit clan are one of the twelve major summoning contracts in existence. They are sworn in service exclusively to the Senju clan, similar to how the Ape clan has sworn its service to the Sarutobi clan. They are the greatest masters in the art of Kenjutsu, and possess exceptional skill in Raiton Ninjutsu & Genjutsu. But the reason, why they are so feared and respected, despite their weak physical stature, and why they are considered as a great clan in the summoning realm, is because of their unparalleled mastery over Jikukan Ninjutsu, known more commonly as space-time Ninjutsu. The Nidaime Hokage's mastery of Jikukan jutsu was obtained under their tutelage."

Yugito gulped in no small amount of fear, and looked askance at the place where the rabbits had stood just a few minutes ago. Nor was she, the only one to do so.

Space-time techniques were considered as the holy grail of the ninja arts for a reason. Even the slightest knowledge of such techniques, automatically converted its owner into a grave threat. To date, the Yondaime Raikage, still raged about the Yondaime Hokage, about how the so called yellow flash had cheated his way into victory, every time they fought, using those techniques of his.

"Where did you get this contract, I thought it was lost with the death of the Nidaime?" Yugito asked, as she was aware of the existence of the Rabbit contract, although not the details that had been revealed today.

The reason why the Rabbit contract was known to Kumo was because the Nidaime Hokage had utilized them in his last stand against the Kinkaku force and had decimated them completely, even though he lost his life afterwards in the battle, being betrayed by Hanzo. However, it had been assumed that the contract had been lost, as Tobirama had not allowed anybody else to sign it.

"That, my dear wife, is a discussion for another time and another place," he replied blandly, while Yugito nodded, even as the Root Nin rued a lost opportunity. Danzo was not going to be pleased with this incomplete report.

* * *

Soon, screams began to emanate all around them, and all of them, apart from Raiha, watched in fascination as a literal rain of human body parts began to fall down from the canopy of trees above them.

A slight sporadic rustle of a breeze, followed by the hoarse screams of the victims permeated the air.

After ten minutes, the three rabbits appeared in front of them. Lao-Tzu was wiping his blade clean, with an expensive scarf, while Chao-Tzu was again standing to the side, creating a new haiku to commemorate this battle.

Sun-Tzu, with his blade still dripping with blood, walked forward.

"That was a good battle, now, Raiha; do you have anything else for us to do?"

"Yes, I want you to assemble a hunting party," he replied, and instantly the other two rabbits gazed at him with a steely gaze.

"You understand the consequences of your actions? Even Tobirama did not assemble a hunt unless the situation required for it," Sun-Tzu replied after a moment's silence.

"Yes."

"Name the target of the hunt,"

"Hunt down the survivors of the Hanya group. Eliminate every last living being in that clan and village down to the last breathing child."

Yugito sucked in a deep breath as she looked at her … her … _husband_, as he casually issued an order for genocide. Although, she was not aware of the history between the Senju and the Land of the Wood, she knew when some things were beyond the norm. _What have I gotten myself into?_

The three Root Nin on the other hand, remained perfectly still. It was a valid and logical solution in their opinion. If the Hanya assassins could wait fifty years to take vengeance, then there was no telling what they could do in the future. Fanatical hatred of that sort could not be appeased, no matter the effort expended. The only alternative left was to enforce the kind of action being taken by the Hokage's grandson now.

After a moment, Sun-Tzu nodded.

"Very well, but you will need to speak to Seijuro-sama after this," the black colored rabbit warned, even as the three rabbits dispelled themselves.

Very well, let us be on our way," Raiha muttered, as all of them regained their bearings and followed him.

* * *

As they neared the village, Yugito became more and more apprehensive. Noticing her discomfort, Raiha looked at her, "Do not worry, you will not be harmed, you have my word."

Mollified, she hardened her resolve, and sped forward. As they moved ahead, at a suggestion from him, she removed her forehead protector, and placed it inside her coat as a precaution.

As they neared the gates, they could see that the village wore a festive look for some reason, and they could see the Hokage, standing at the gates, along with many other ninja's and quite a retinue of people.

"What is going on? Is there some sort of celebration going on in the village?" Raiha asked Fuu who was their point-man, who shook his head.

"When news of your deed in Amegakure reached Konoha, the people automatically began to revel. It has been decades since Konoha has achieved a victory of this nature, and the fact that you have avenged the Senju Clan was enough of a reason for everyone to start celebrating," he replied, while Yugito became confused.

"Wait, what … exactly did you do in Amegakure?"

"Nothing much, I just killed Hanzo."

Yugito stopped dead in her tracks. Hanzo, Hanzo of the Salamanders.

Hanzo was a name known to every shinobi in existence. He was the man, who had single-handedly protected and guarded Amegakure successfully through the three world wars, and had managed to thwart the Great Five Villages; he was the man who single handedly defeated the three Sannin, when they were at their prime, and had given them their title. Amegakure was, for all purposes, even if unacknowledged, the sixth great village, and Hanzo, was for all purposes, the unofficial and unrecognized … Amekage.

"You killed him! Him? But … wait, that is why those Ame Jonin were chasing you, weren't they? And you did it single-handedly and without any back up or support?" Yugito asked shrilly, while Raiha looked at her in surprise.

"I didn't need any, it was not that difficult to be honest," he muttered as he made his way forward. While Yugito and even the three Root Nin stopped after hearing that. They had to.

"Well, are you coming or not?"

"Pardon us Raiha-sama; our duty was to escort you to the village gates. We must now take our leave and report to your superior. Please excuse us," Shin replied, after gathering his bearings, while Raiha nodded.

"Tell Danzo, that I wish to speak with him, soon," he replied back, even as Fuu nodded in acceptance.

* * *

Tsunade rubbed her forehead angrily, even as she stood outside the village gates. Accompanying her was the entire shinobi council, and half the ninjas present in the village. When the news had broken out that her grandson had killed Hanzo, a sort of revelry had broken out in the village, unseen since the end of the third war.

Her people were thinking that it was a great victory, and that they had been avenged for the betrayal of the death of the Second Hokage.

True, she had expected that she would need to make a forceful statement to prove to the world, that she had not been bluffing in the grand council.

But, killing Hanzo had been taking it too far. The unsanctioned (though no one knew it) assassination of a head of state was not a deterrent for future war. It was more like an invitation for one. The fact that apart from Hanzo, there was no one in Ame, who had the skill to go against her and the Kage-level shinobi in Konoha, might be the only thing that could restrain Ame from declaring war over this in the near future.

She had already been bombarded by a flurry of messages from the fire daimyo himself, and was nearing the end of her tether.

Suddenly, her musings were cut short as she watched her grandson come into view, walking steadily towards the gate. She paused, as she saw another person step behind him. A woman.

That set off all sorts of alarm bells within her head. To date, the only women with whom he interacted were her and Shizune. And the woman walking behind him demurely was most definitely not her student.

The woman was wearing a traveling cloak over her ninja uniform with a hood that covered her face.

The people surrounding her also stiffened, and whispers began to emanate as they noticed his companion.

She fervently prayed to all deities who would listen, hoping beyond hope, that her grandson had not done anything reckless, which might lead to a war. Killing Hanzo was bad enough; she hoped it wouldn't get any worse beyond that.

Then, the woman removed her cloak and showed her face. As soon as she recognized her face, Tsunade's heart nearly jumped to her mouth. Standing before her, right next to her grandson was the jinchuuriki of the Nibi no Nekomata. Yugito Nii of Kumogakure no Sato. Apparently, things had gotten worse than she could possibly hope for.

_If a war doesn't erupt over this, then I am the greatest gambler in the world! Damn it to hell! The Idiot! What the hell was he thinking! Killing a head of state was one thing, but stealing a jinchuuriki, what the hell was wrong with this boy!_

Even as Tsunade remained in the semi-trance, Raiha approached her, even as he beckoned Yugito to approach them, "Grandmother, please allow me to introduce to you my wife, Yugito."

That broke her out of her haze. A dead silence prevailed over the area as every single person became silent and gazed at the scene in front of them.

As she gazed at her grandson, Tsunade began to smile, and then she began to laugh, and continued to laugh harder and harder, until the people around her began to edge away, fearing for their safety.

Then without pause, she suddenly whirled around, and delivered a devastating punch to her grandson's face, even as he was sent away flying and crashed into a tree at the opposite end of the road, and groaned in pain and sank down, while the tree itself splintered into a thousand pieces.

Then smiling, in the same feral manner, she turned towards Yugito, whose face was blanched with fear, and placed her arms around her shoulder.

"Come, daughter-in-law of mine, let us go and have a chat," she spoke with a charming smile, while Yugito squeaked in fear, as she was led away, while her husband collapsed on the opposite side of the road in a dead faint.

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTE:**

It has taken me too long to come out of the writing block for this story. The reason being that the manga has taken a nosedive with regards to plot, and I can't make head or tails of what to do, as the direction of the series changes more radically than a leaf blowing in the wind. I mean, Obito alive, Jubi back, Neji dead, and Orochimaru back. Naruto and Hinata getting together in a cheesy battle scene! What is next, Hashirama Senju coming back to life along with Sarutobi and Minato? Jeez, at least maintain some semblance of believability in the plot Kishimoto!

Okay, rant aside, sorry that I could not deliver on the preview promised in the previous chapter, but it will come in future. For now, don't expect updates regularly for this. I will try to update Shinobi clan wars next, before moving on to updating Isane after that.

Next update for this story should be in another two to three months I think.

One thing I am making clear, this story will not be abandoned, no matter what. You have my word.

Thanks a lot for sticking with me and more importantly with this story for all this time.

Ciao.


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